


Your place was always with us...

by sufferingundergrad



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: A bit of swearing, BAMF Lance, Elements of season four, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gen, Interrogation doesn't go as Lotor planned, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Lance is Blue's and Red's cub, Lance is a smart cookie, Lance is the big bro, Lance's baby sis is a bad ass, Lotor is a shit, Middle Kid Lance, Mostly Canon Compliant, Multi-POV, Pre Season 4, Smoker Lance, The team doesn't quite know how to handle two McClains, keith is confused, light langst, mentions of torture none shown, pre-season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-01-21 07:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 64,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12452241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sufferingundergrad/pseuds/sufferingundergrad
Summary: Lotor decides that the best way to attack Voltron is through Lance. Lance is the weakest link, he'd be easiest to break, just hold something he cares about in front of him and watch him come running. Lotor isn't expecting the storm he'll unleash.Lance misses his family. Struggling to find his place in the team he's settled into the role of jokester and pseudo big brother for Pidge. Deep down, though, he longs to know exactly where he stands, wants the surety that comes with living in a big family and always knowing what role to play, be it big brother, little brother, uncle, friend... Seeing his sister held captive by Lotor brings out something in Lance he never wanted his team to see. Something he hasn't felt since years ago when his cousin showed up at 3AM covered in bruises.Keith is trying to figure out the leader gig, Lance has been helping. Now Lance is the one being impulsive and reckless, and Keith is left in the dust trying to reel Lance in before he gives Lotor exactly what he wants. This new side of Lance scares him. He doesn't want to loose someone he's grown to care about so much.If there's one thing everyone should learn from this, it's to never mess with Lance's family.





	1. When the laughter falls away...

The girl struggled against Acxa, who didn't need to do anything more than shift her grip to contain the wriggling bundle as she walked back to her ship hidden in the brush. 

Axa hated being back on Earth. She hated the bugs and the smell and the warm moistness in the air that caused her hair to frizz. Most of all, she hated that she could breath easier here. That, for once, she hadn't had to test the air before removing her helmet. In some ways, she'd rather be breathing in the filtered recycled air than feeling the cool night breeze over her nose, but rules are rules; if you don't need it, don't compromise yourself by using it. As she approached her ship, the child she was carrying started kicking out at her again. She growled when the bundle started cursing in some language that Acxa didn't know. 

"Shut up!" Without remorse, Acxa brought the butt of her blaster down on child's head where it was covered by the rough sack, before tossing her up into the vehicle. Lotor had better be grateful that she had even gone on this mission. Ezor or Narti would have been better suited for it, but they were in another star system when Lotor's eyes had lit up and he'd began pulling up coordinates. 

The glass casing over the pilot's seat closed with a hiss as the engine started up and Acxa pulled on her helmet. She really hoped that this was the last time she'd ever have to come back to earth. The two story wooden house with the small fairy lights strung around the back porch and barbecue area, faded from view as the ship started up and Acxa engaged the cloaking device. The farther she got from the island, the more the ocean seemed to swallow it and the more Axa's breathing seemed to even out. Once back among the stars, she set a course for Lotor. She'd done her job, now the rest was up to him. The bundle was still lying silently in the back of the ship, for a moment Acxa wondered if she should check their breathing, maybe she'd hit them too hard? Her ship still recognized two heat signatures and two heart beats when she checked, so she let the tension ease. the kid wouldn't be her problem for much longer. 

* * *

**Keith's POV:**

Allura's yelling was not what I wanted to wake up to this- morning? Was there morning in space? Did it matter, probably not. 

"Paladins, get to the control room now!" I grunted as I got up and yanked on my armor while her voice and the alarms continued to blare through the castle. "This is not a drill!"

I broke into a sprint as I left my room, not even checking to make sure that the door closed behind me, bayard in hand. Halfway there I started hearing Hunks pounding footsteps and heavy breathing behind me. 

"Hey, dude," he panted as I waited for him to catch up. "Any idea what's happening?" 

"No clue," I said opening the door. "Where are Pidge and Lance?" I looked around for the tiny, green gremlin and the lanky loudmouth. 

"No idea, man, last I saw Pidge, she was in Lance's room talking about something. They've been doing that a lot lately." He was right, they had. In the past few weeks, if you were looking for Pidge, she was in Lance's room, either working on her computer or huddled next to him explaining something. Once I'd gone in there about to ask Lance to spar only to find him sitting on his bed with Pidge sleeping next to him. 

The sight had hit me harder than expected. Pidge had her head resting on Lance's thigh while he hummed and ran his fingers through her hair, simultaneously skimming through a digital book on one of the castle's tablets. Pidge had her legs pulled up to her chest and her hands curled up by her face. She was so tiny that Lance's tired bomber jacket covered everything but the tips of her toes and the top of her face. Her glasses were resting on top of Lance's head. 

The scene had been so soft, so domestic and almost painful for some reason that I still couldn't figure out. I nearly flinched when Lance looked up at me, breaking the moment. 

"Need anything, Buddy," he asked, tan fingers stilling in Pidge's hair. 

"No- Ah, I was just gonna ask- You know what, never mind." I fled to the training room, where it was safe, and there wasn't a softly smiling Lance that made something tug in the bottom of my stomach. 

 

Hunk and I made it to the control room in record time, Shiro already there and in his armor. Hunk wheezed a bit before sinking into his chair. 

"Where are Pidge and Lance?" Shiro asked, one eyebrow raised curiously. 

"We're here!" Lance barreled into the room, Pidge just a step behind. "Sorry," Lance nearly shouted while he adjusted his armor. "We were in the hanger with the lions."

"That doesn't matter," Allura butted in, not looking away from the screen in front of her. "We're receiving a transmission from a Galra ship." 

"Any idea whose," Shiro asked arms crossed defensively in front of his chest. 

"Lotor's." The name made everyone in the room still. 

"Why is prince L'oreal calling us?" Lance asked, breaking the silence. The words held ease the tension a bit. I'd never admit it to him, but Lance's jokes and refusal to call Lotor by his name, had helped me stay calm more than once since taking over for Shiro.  

"I'm not sure, but we're about to find out," Allura opened the line and allowed the connection to establish. 

"Paladin's of Voltron," a disgustingly silky smooth voice filtered into the ship. I shuddered, I hated that voice. "I'm glad you accepted my call." Lotor's smirk as the image popped into place made my gut twist. He looked way too pleased about something. 

"What do you want, Lotor?" Thank God for Allura. She faced the prince head on, glaring at the smirking asshole.

"I think, Princess, you'll find it's what you want, and what you're willing to hand over in order to get it back from me." The smirk grew wider.

"Spit it out, Jerk," I yelled, fed up with the word game Lotor was playing. His eyes glanced over me, distaste clear in the mostly yellow orbs. 

"I don't remember addressing  _you_ little Red." He drawled. 

"Yeah, well you can-" 

"Keith!" Lance's arm thrust in front of me, stopping me from trying to strangle Lotor through the screen. 

"Don't let him get to you," he said softly in my ear. I exhaled slowly, trying to reign my temper back in. "Besides," he said in a louder tone, turning back to the screen, shit eating grin in place. "If the purple Legolas knock off wants to waste his time, that's alright with me."

Lotor looked confused for a millisecond at the Lord of the Rings reference, but his expression shifted back to smug quickly. 

"You're actually who I wanted to talk to, Blue Paladin," almost purring as he zeroed in on Lance. "I believe that I have something of yours, Lance McClain." Lance's grin faltered as Lotor said his name. Everyone else was a bit shocked too.

As far as we were concerned, the galra didn't know anything about us beyond our Paladin status. I mean, the way Lance flirted it's not really surprising that his name would get around, but it was still weird to hear it from Lotor of all people. Especially the way he seemed to curl his mouth around the two words, like the name was candy. 

I felt my temper flare up and was about to say something, before muffled shouts filled the corner of the screen and someone was dragged into view. The person struggled and sputtered, swearing in multiple languages, I picked up something in what sounded like Italian before they began ranting in Spanish, then English. Were they human? They looked like it. Dread began to pool in my stomach as I caught sight of tan skin and chocolate brown hair.  

"Please say hello to my newest guest, Lance, I'm sure you've met." Lotor waved his arm at the person as they were dragged closer to the screen. 

The person raised their head and faced the screen. It was a girl, probably sixteen at least. She was wearing a grimy white dress and boots that were covered in scuffs and scratches. There was a cut on her forehead that looked like it had scabbed over, and tear tracks running along her cheeks. One of Lotor's generals, the blue one that looked almost human, held her back by her elbows, not budging despite how much the girl had struggled. The girl looked at the screen for a moment, confused, until she spotted Lance. 

Two sets of denim eyes locked onto each other and stared. 

"Lance?" The girl's voice came out cracked and husky as she looked at him. 

"Nita?" Lance sounded horrified. I wanted to place a hand on his shoulder, to try and calm him down, but stopped. I still wasn't sure what was happening. Who was this girl to Lance. 

"What the hell is this you sick fuck?" Lance screeched, glaring at Lotor. His shoulders trembling in anger as he faced off with the prince of the Galra empire.

"Why," Lotor gasped, pretending to be offended. "I thought you'd be happy to see your little sister again, Paladin. After all, she's been desperate to see you." The smirk that curved up at the end of those words was too much. Lance snapped. 

"You damn, son of a mother fucking tortoise!" Lance yelled, lunging at the control panel. Hunk and I leaped after him, holding him back before he could attack anything, that didn't stop him from shrieking in every language he could think of. 

I heard Lotor chuckle as we tried to restrain Lance, and my heart sank. This was what Lotor had been after. He'd wanted to get to Lance.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Never challenge a wolf...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has a plan, the team doesn't know what it is. Lotor really pisses of Allura by ignoring her. Keith is confused.
> 
> (Also, you bet your ass that Lance made his sisters take a rape prevention class after Carmen.)

Anita stared at the screen in horror. That was her brother, Lance. He wasn't dead like the Galaxy Garrison had told them. He was here in space, wearing some kind of armor and screeching, red-faced, at the douchebag that had kidnapped her. The people surrounding him looked familiar. She knew that one was Hunk, Lance's roommate from the Garrison. Lance had loved to take selfies and send them to her while she was in class. She had about ten selfies of him posing with hunk in various ridiculous poses on her phone. 

The smaller one that looked a bit androgynous and was standing next to him also looked familiar. Maybe they'd been in one or two of the pictures as well but right now her head hurt too much to try and remember. She knew the guy wearing the armor with black decals, Lance had a news article about him hanging on his wall back in Cuba. That was Takashi Shirogane, one of the greatest pilots ever trained by the Garrison. 

There were two other people standing there also looking at the screen in shock. One was a dark skinned girl with white hair pulled into a bun, and the other was a pale mustachioed man with bright orange hair. Based on the fact that both of them had pointed ears and scale-like things under their eyes, Anita assumed the they were aliens. What was her brother doing with aliens in the first place? Had they kidnapped him like they had her? But then why would he be wearing armor? Tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to push through the pain radiating through her skull and come to terms with the fact that her brother was in font of her, alive and looking healthy. 

"So wonderful to see such affection between siblings," the white haired alien chuckled while Lance continued to reach sound levels only dolphins should be able to hear. 

Anita's tears dried instantly as the purple asshole cupped her chin and grinned sickeningly while observing her face. 

"I see that good looks run in the family." She winced as the nails dug in to her cheek experimentally but managed to hold back the whimper. She would not cry in front of this man. Vaguely she heard Lance yell out some cuss words that would have made their mama wash his mouth out with soap if they were still back on earth. 

"LANCE! Calm down!" The one who spoke was wearing armor with red decals. When she looked at the screen she saw that he was physically lifting her kicking and screaming brother off the ground to restrain him, despite the fact that the red boy was a good three inches shorter than her brother. 

"Shut up, Keith!" Keith? Keith Kogane? Lance's long time 'rival' (read crush) from the Garrison? That Keith? What the hell was he doing in space with her brother? The last Anita had heard he'd been kicked out of the Garrison for punching the shit out of Iverson. Like, good on him, but man, dude definitely had a temper. 

"This is what he wants, Lance, so just calm down and think for a minute!" Lances flailing legs stilled and returned to the floor, Keith really hadn't been lifting him that high. In moments the rage on his face was replaced by a flat cold stare that he leveled at the alien man still cupping her chin. Anita shivered, after what happened with Carmen's ex she didn't want to see that look on Lance's face. 

She remembered the way Carmen had looked when she'd stumbled into the front door a few hours after midnight looking for their mom, Esperanza, mumbling about her boyfriend Nigel. Anita had seen the bruises and the slight swelling of Carmen's stomach that she kept leaning over protectively. Carmen had been a few months pregnant at the time before she told Nigel that she'd keep the baby. Nigel had reacted... Badly.

Lance had looked exactly the same as he did now, eyes cold, mouth pressed thin, as he gathered their older brothers and went looking for Nigel. They'd returned at around eight the next morning looking grimly pleased with themselves. No one had asked what happened. 

Carmen cut off contact with her ex after that, it wasn't until a month later that they found out that Nigel had been placed in the ICU after being jumped by a group of people that he couldn't identify. He might have been lying but who knew. 

Lance looked at her for a moment before speaking in Spanish.

 _< Can you move around ok?> _She nodded, even though her head was pounding, there was nothing else physically wrong with her. Her brother nodded like this was something he could work with.

"I'm calm, now let me go, Mullet," Lance growled. Keith set her brother back on the ground. 

"Oh, giving up already are we?" Lotor, that was his name, studied her brother like he was an amusing bug under a microscope. Lance didn't respond just kept staring at her, face immobile.

 _< What do you want me to do?> _She asked. Lance didn't smile, but there was a slight crinkle at the corners of his eyes that showed he was pleased with something. 

_< Alright, listen up...>_

* * *

**Keith's POV:**

Lance continued to talk to his sibling in Spanish, while Allura took over debating with Lotor, who looked a bit offended when Lance ignored him. I tried to focus on what she was saying, but the soft stream of words to my left was distracting, not to mention the way Lance kept moving his hands around. My high school Spanish class had seemed like a waste of time while I was sitting through it, but now I wished that I'd payed more attention to my teacher. 

For some reason I kept hearing the word 'puñetazo'. It niggled something in the back of my mind while Lance systematically began to touch the spot just under his eye, then his ear and his throat. 

I turned back to Allura, who was still dealing with Lotor's smug face. I heard the tail end of one of Lance's sentences "...clase de defensa personal." That definitely sounded familiar. Living in Texas, there had been a Spanish translation underneath a lot of signs and flyers. I'd seen plenty of advertisements for self defense classes at Gyms when I went on grocery runs. I stared at him, confused. Was he telling her to fight back? That was not a good plan, Lance! Just listen to Allura, she'll figure this out. 

I saw the girl on the screen nod once before slumping over like she couldn't hold herself up. What? So he didn't tell her to fight back?I glanced over at Lance, thoroughly confused now. The sight that greeted me wasn't one that I was used to. 

Lance is a goofball, always smiling, always joking. I don't even think he realizes just how much that laughter helps pull us all out of our heads from time to time. Even Shiro sometimes got wound up to the point where he's willing to punch the closest thing so long as it will help ease whatever is going on inside of him. Usually, that's where Lance comes in with his bright personality and bubbly voice, soothing Shiro to the point where he can act like the Space Dad we all secretly refer to him as. 

The Lance that i was looking at right now, though, was completely different. The mobile mouth that could smile or frown comically in an instant was unmoving, pressed into a thin white line. His arms were crossed over his body, hands fisted against his ribs. The scariest part though, was his eyes. The joy that I could always find in the beep blue irises had been suppressed, leaving them cold and distant, like the ocean in the frozen parts of the world. The sight left a cold feeling in my stomach, one that I was worried wouldn't go away. 

"You quiznaking-" Allura's yelling brought me back to the issue at hand. 

"As amusing and eloquent as I find this conversation, princess," Lotor interrupted, looking entirely bored. "I really only wanted to talk to one of you. If I could have Little Boy Blue's attention?" 

Lotor's gaze slid over to rest on Lance, who was watching the screen moodily. Pidge had wandered over to his side and was trying to comfort him by wrapping an arm around his waist, which was, admittedly, about as high as she could reach on Lance. hunk wasn't far behind her, placing a hand on Lance's shoulder in solidarity. Neither of them could see the way his eyes looked right now, like they contained a storm that was straining at the leash of control he held on it.

"What do you want, Gilipollas?" Lance spat. Hunk winced, apparently he knew what the word meant, cause I sure didn't. Whatever it was, that hadn't put it on any street signs back home. 

"I offer you a trade." Lotor said, obviously unconcerned with his new title. "Bring me the red lion you now pilot and yourself, alone of course, to the moon Talon, and I'll give this little morsel back to your friends." The smile stretched and he lifted the girls chin. "Refuse, and I'll have to see just how well human females can withstand the arena." The girl on the screen glared at him weakly before he dropped her chin, letting her head flop back down onto her chest before turning back to Lance. "Do we have a deal, Little Blue?"

"Of course you don't! We can't just give you a lion!" Allura shouted, her eyes were dangerously close to bulging and she was breathing heavily in frustration. Shiro started patting her back soothingly while Coran glared at the white haired prince.

"I didn't ask you, princess." Lotor didn't even look at Allura, instead he kept his eyes trained on Lance. "So, Blue, what is your decision?" 

Lance strode over to the front of the control room and stood directly in front of the screen looking Lotor in the eye.

"You know what, Lotwhore?" He said, letting a wolfish smile break through, showing all of his teeth. It looked grim and not at all reassuring. "It's a date, see you in a few vargas." Without another word, Lance cut the transmission feed, sending one last look towards his sister. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kay this one is a bit short but I wanted to get it pounded out before I lost the idea.


	3. Wait for it...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor thinks he has Lance pinned...  
> Lance is not standing still...  
> Anita is lying in wait...
> 
> As the team hears about Lance's plan, they each realize that there is a side of Lance that they don't know.  
> Lotor is sure that his scheme will go according to plan.  
> Anita knows her brother is coming, she's ready to wait, ready to fight when he finally comes to get her. 
> 
> (Title and summary are a play on the song 'Wait for it...' from Hamilton. Cheesy, I know, but it's what I was listening to at the time.)

Lotor practically skipped down the hallway lined with cells, while Acxa tugged the blue, well, it's red now, paladin's sister after her. There were six in total, none of which were occupied at the moment. Lotor wasn't one to take prisoners. Axa tossed the girl into the closest one. The young girl let out a pained grunt as she hit the floor, landing on her bound wrists. 

"You've been excellent bait my dear," he purred, while the human child struggled to a sitting position, her white dress fanning out around her legs which now bore scrapes and the occasional bruise. He clucked silently at the sight of the marred caramel skin. Lotor wasn't particularly interested in males of any species, but the blue paladin, Lance, and his sister were quite attractive in a very human way. It will be nice to have the matching set behind bars while he finishes tearing Voltron apart. 

The girl, 'Nita', Lance had called her, glared at him mutinously, lip bleeding slightly where she'd bit it after falling into the cell. He 'tsk'-ed sadly at her as the electrified bars rose into place. 

"Don't look at me like that, dear, I'm sure you'll see big brother soon." Her eyes widened slightly, but she kept her lips clenched mulishly. "I look forward to the reunion, the blue paladin has been a thorn in my side for some time now, I will enjoy seeing him captured." Lotor turned to his general, the only one currently on the ship with him while the others were out completing various tasks. "Set a course for Talon, Acxa. I have a reservation to get to."

 

Anita watched as the purple asshat left her back in the cell and went off to the front of the ship. She groaned, feeling every single bruise and scrape. Lance had explained his plan, or at least a brief run down of what would turn into a plan, when they'd been speaking in Spanish while Lotor argued with the white haired girl. 

Her brother was coming, that was a sure thing, the 'when' was another. She just knew that he'd give the signal when it was time. She'd nearly broken down when he'd told her what it would be. 'Time to Say Goodbye', the first song she'd ever sung for a recital. She'd spent night after night going over it with him. The two of them singing it as a duet so she could hear the way the words flowed. He'd been beaming at her from the front row when she'd sung it perfectly at the recital.

It was just like her brother, he didn't ask for her input, just told her how it was going to work, sure that everything he said would come to pass as he expected it to. All with that stupidly boundless confidence and surety that he never seemed to grow out of. 

She shrugged into a standing position and settled on the bench in the back of the cell. She curled into the corner and drew her legs up as comfortably as she could. She really wanted to nap, but she had to stay awake, who knew when her brother would be showing up. 

She closed her eyes and hummed the aria she'd been given at her last lesson, which was coincidentally the one she'd been abducted after. The complicated Italian words snagged in her mind and forced her to repeat the phrase again until it was perfect. 

A few vargas, which were most likely close to hours, that's what Lotor said. 

She could stay awake. 

 

Lotor settled into his chair, which looked suspiciously like a throne, glee plain on his face. Oh, he knew the paladin was plotting something. Whatever Earth dialect the siblings had been speaking in wasn't translatable by the Galra device he wore in his ear, but the cold eyes and rigid stance had practically screamed "Strategy in process!" 

It was one of the reasons he loved to pester Lance. The boy didn't know when to stop planning. He didn't know when to accept his fate. He'd reviewed video after video of the paladins previous battles, each time, the same thing stuck out to him. The blue paladin had remained cool and level headed, reassuring the other ones and helping maintain calm, especially in the red paladin. 

Those two had an interesting bond. They bickered like children, but when they fought together they subconsciously began to cover for the others failings. 

The red paladin obviously had trouble managing his rage and instincts, an inherently Galra trait, and the blue paladin gave him a direction to vent that anger in. On the other hand, Lance was so willing to toss himself into the fray as bait or to wait in the wings, alone and defenseless, while taking out robots that would be after his team mates. The audio files reveled that Lance would constantly calm the yellow one while they fought, complimenting him and reassuring him when the other began to feel anxious or pulled off a move particularly well. The two were obviously close friends. 

The green one, it was difficult to tell if they were male or female, was always quick to rush ahead, much like the red paladin. Each time they ran off, Lance would be close behind, hovering over them and asking questions. It was like watching a Yupper guard her pups. Adorable, really. 

Lotor chuckled as the ship began making its way to Talon Moon. It was more of a dwarf planet, really, large enough that it contained it's own gravity field with a pressure equal to that of Earth, but in comparison to the planet that it orbited, it may as well be a moon. The surface was barren of everything besides rock and boulders, all a shade of deep blue, close to the color of Lance and his sister's eyes and Axca's skin. Hopefully, Lance would appreciate the thought when he was being hand cuffed and tossed into a cell beside his sister. 

Of course Lotor had been lying about releasing the girl. The Galra conquer, they don't trade. As prince of the empire, Lotor could accept no less. The blue paladin would fall to him and, with his vanishing, so would Voltron. Without their sharpshooter, they were just a disconnected collection of mewling kits that had no idea where to turn, especially with the sudden change in leadership and lions. 

Let the blue paladin plan and plot to his hearts content. He was already in check. Lotor had already won and Lance didn't even know it yet.

* * *

 

Lance waited for the shouting to quiet down before trying to explain his plan. Before he could get a word in, though, Allura was sucking in a deep lungful of air and shouting again.

"What the quiznacking quiznack was that? Lance!" Shiro was practically restraining her as she struggled against him to get to Lance. "There is no way that I'm letting you take a lion to Lotor of all people!"

"Princess-" Lance tried.

"No. What were you  _thinking_!" She screeched, reaching sound levels that  _really_  weren't meant for human ears, and probably not Altean ones either based on the way Coran winced. 

"I was thinking, princess," he said, voice carefully neutral, but still cold, eyes frosty as they wandered over the princess, who stilled immediately. "That Prince Asswipe had my sister and that this was the only chance I would have to get her back alive."

"Lance, I understand-" Allura tried to sooth him, not comfortable with this new Lance.

"No, princess, you honestly don't," he said, making her flinch when his voice rose, still frigid. "Because, unlike you, I'm not willing to sacrifice my sister for Voltron." Allura looked taken aback and ashamed for a moment. No one else moved, the room was divided Coran, Shiro and Allura on one side, Hunk, Pidge, Keith and Lance on the other. 

Coran and Shiro looked dumbfounded, like they couldn't believe that Lance, flirty Lance, would use his words to cut Allura down like that.

Hunk was looking between his best friend and his leader nervously, not sure who he should be comforting. Yeah, Allura hadn't exactly tried to cut a deal with Lotor, for all that Alteans were supposed to be diplomats. Really, she'd just yelled at him. The guy got under everyone's skin, mostly hers. So, in a way, Lance had been right. But this Lance... Hunk shuddered. This Lance was  _different._

It was amazing what happened when you took the jokes away. Lance stood taller, nearly as tall as him and Shiro, the lanky frame showing the lean muscles that Lance usually hid underneath a baggy jacket. He wasn't looking at anyone out of the corners of his eyes anymore, he's staring straight ahead, not a smile to be seen. 

Pidge was glaring at the other side of the room, standing behind Lance like a guard dog, making sure that everyone knew she'd protect her brother figure.

Keith looked confused, like he wanted to stand with Shiro the way he always had, but like he also wanted to hold Lance close and make him stop looking like he was watching the end of the world.

"Lance, I-I..." Allura was stuttering! Allura. Was. Stuttering!

"Now, if you'd care to listen, I had a plan in mind when I agreed to the exchange." Lance snapped, making everyone's head jerk up in surprise.

"You did?" Keith sputtered. "Is that what you were talking about self defense class for?" Everyone stared at him. Lance looked shocked for a minute before snapping his fingers, a bit of his old spark back.

"Right, Texas," he muttered, the slight upturn of his mouth died prematurely. "Yeah, there was an incident a few years ago, I made sure all of my sisters took a self defense class and a rape prevention course. While Allura was getting pissy at the purple jerk, I was telling her that the Galra and Alteans have almost the same weak points as humans."

"What weak points? Our races are very different, Lance." Allura tried to step in, sounding a bit nervous but also incredulous and slightly offended. 

"The basics," Lance said, pointing to each spot on his body as he mentioned them. "Eyes, ears, nose, groin, and throat. I told her that Galra hears are very sensitive to loud noises, she'll be able to do a lot with that."

"Uh, two questions," Hunk broke in, twitching nervously. "What does that last statement mean, and why do you know this?" Lance shrugged.

"One, I'm not the best at close combat," Lance said, raising one finger. "But I can do below the belt shots to get away if I need too. I found out about the ear thing a few months ago when I yelled into a commanders ear while we were attacking." Hunk made and 'Oooh' sound.

"Two," he said, raising a second finger. "My sister is a solid soprano who's been taking vocal training in Classical music, specifically Opera, for the past five years. Trust me, if she want's to blow out your eardrums she can and will."

"I'm not sure what any of those words mean, but she sounds impressive, your sister." Coran tried to ease the tension in the room slightly.

"She is," Lance said, softening the slightest bit. "And she knows I'm coming to get her, come hell or high water, which is why I agreed to the meeting. Coran," Lance nearly yelled. Coran jumped at the sudden address. "What is Talon's atmosphere like? You said a while ago that it was pretty similar to earth, right? That it's technically a planet but people call it a moon as a joke."

"That's true," Coran said, nodding. "Talon has been regarded for years as a small planet but it lacks the vital resources to function as one and host life. It's mainly used for meet ups and trades. "Allura's father and I actually met with a member of the Yormax tribe there, to negotiate a trade for materials needed to help build the lions." 

"Then it should be no problem for me to get on the surface and move unhindered," Lance said, after waiting for Coran to finish. "I'll go down and grab my sister. Lotor made it obvious that he wasn't actually going to  let her go when he failed to establish a way for her to get off the planet. I'm not allowed to bring someone with me and he wants my lion as well." 

Keith blinked slowly, he hadn't caught that bit. It was amazing that Lance had, given that he was screeching for most of the conversation. 

"Pidge already added cloaking devices to the rest of our lions, Keith can cover me while I go grab Anita. As soon as I've got her we can book it the hell outta there in Red, so long as Keith keeps using Black to lay down cover fire."

A little bit of warmth flooded Keith's body at the fact that Lance had thought of him before anyone else. He knew how important Lance's family was to him. If Lance wanted him on this mission, that meant he must really trust him.

"How can you be sure that you'll get your sister in the first place?" Allura asked, calm now. "Lotor never said that he couldn't bring a second."

"I took that into account," Lance fired back. "There was no background noise in the video beyond normal ship sounds, and the only general we saw was the blue chick. Lotor never relies on anyone other than those four half-galran women, so I'm guessing she's the only one he has with him now," he explained. 

"That's actually a fair assessment," Pidge said, stroking her chin while she thought about it a bit more. "I can run an image scan to see if we find them anywhere else in the galaxy while we're on our way to Talon. If they aren't with Lotor someone or something has to have picked them up."

"Get on that, Kiddo." Lance said indicating that she should grab her computer. "If she is the only general we have to deal with, it won't be much of a problem. If I remember correctly, her name is Acxa. She's a long range fighter like me. We've never seen her engage in direct combat for very long, and she always has someone to back her up when she goes into the fray."

"Yeah, she struggled against me a bit when we fought at the Galran base," Keith put in. "We were at a stalemate until her pink friend showed up and tried to skewer me."

"Thank you, Keith," Lance gave him an approving look before turning back to Allura and Shiro, who were warming up to the plan more and more. "So long as there's enough distraction she'll be so busy looking for cover, she won't have time to interfere. In the mean time, I  _will_ have a weapon and a line of sight and will be ready to get Anita into a lion as soon as possible."

"I get what you're saying about Acxa, Lance," Shiro said, his arms crossed as he considered the plan a bit. "But Lotor is an excellent close combat fighter, we've seen it. Plus, he doesn't fight like traditional Galra. What's your plan for him?"

"Anita," Lance said bluntly.

"Lance, your sister isn't exactly a warrior!" Allura looked exasperated.

"That's where you're wrong, princess," Lance crowed, warming up to the subject. "After what happened back home, Anita got our older brother, Miguel, who's an amateur MMA fighter by the way, to teach her the basics of street fighting. I've seen her take down guys twice her size before." Lance looked so proud of his family, so thrilled that he could finally brag about them to the team.

"You keep saying something happened," Shiro noted. "What did happen, exactly?" And just like that, the light left Lance's face again, leaving it closed off and cold.

"Nothing you can prove or need to know about," he said with a finality that gave them the impression of a steel door slamming into place. "Now, do I have everyone's agreement on this?"

Allura still looked unsure, even Shiro held back a bit. The other Paladins, and Coran, however, looked ready to get to work. 

"It isn't a half-bad plan," Shiro conceded. "But I'd like to also enforce a rule that you and Keith need to be in contact with the Castle at all times, and the Castle is going to be just on the other side of the planet that Talon revolves around."

"That'll work," Lance said shrugging. "You guys can be close and have a wormhole ready for when we get back." 

Everyone looked at Allura, who'd resorted to gnawing on her lip. Finally she sighed, sagging forward a bit like she was tired of fighting with them. For a moment her pink armor seemed to hang on her. 

"Alright then," she said finally. "I'm setting a course for Talon. This had better work Lance."

"If I have anything to say about it, it will." Lance refused to look away, staring Allura down until she nodded and returned to piloting the ship.

* * *

 

**Lance's POV:**  

I sat on my bed quietly. In only two more vargas we'd be reaching Talon. I sighed, thinking about Anita being stuck with Lotor made my stomach turn. I knew my sister could handle herself, I hadn't been lying when I said she could. Something was bothering me, though. 

Lotor was smart, like, really smart. He knew how to get to people and make them dance to his tune. My gut clenched, thinking about what was coming. I stared at the wall across from me. 

Pictures of each of my family members stared back, covering the wall like wallpaper. Some of them were photographs, others were sketches that I'd done during our down time. Mama had always said that I would have been an artist if space hadn't had seduced me first. What could I say, I'm a flirt, have been all my life, but in truth, there's only room in my heart for one star speckled lady. Well, her and whoever decided that they wanted to brave the Ramirez-McClain family and claim me for their own. Not to mention that my family would always be in the top three for me. Oh, I couldn't forget about Varadero, and the team... 

You know what, there's room for everybody in Lance Ramirez-McClain's heart.

Coran had shown me how to make the images we saw in the mind meld headgear into a photo image, but there was something about drawing the people that I loved that put me at ease more than anything else. Scattered around the pictures of my family, were images of the planets we'd visited. Queen Luxia was among them, so was Plaxum and the Space mall. There was also a picture of Kolivan and the team. I'd even drawn the Arusians and Laika the yupper. 

I wanted to show every image to my family when I got back, tell them about my adventures saving the universe. I wanted to joke about the baku and tell them about how, in space, food eats you, and you can't tell the bathrooms apart. I also wanted to lay on the beach and let the sun and water wash off what must be a year of fighting with Voltron against the Galra. 

My gut clenched again. I laid down and stared at the ceiling. I knew there were flaws in my plan. Hell, it was  _my_  plan, of course there were flaws. That wouldn't stop me, though. I'd get my sister away from that jerk.

Even if it meant that I didn't make it back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has gotten so many awesome comments! You guys are fantastic! I hope you enjoy this chapter because I almost lost it when my session expired. Also my computer keeps trying to call Lotor, Motor for some reason.


	4. I bid my life...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor and Lance finally meet to make the trade. Lance is suspicious despite Keith reassuring him that things will turn out alright. Lance and Anita are finally reunited, siblings in arms once again. Everything is going as well as could be expected.
> 
> But what happens when Lance gets injured? It all boils down to a simple question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have been awesome about commenting and responding to my work. I'm so glad that I was able to get out two chapters this week cause next week might get a bit busy and I might only be able to do one, if that. 
> 
> Please read and leave comments. I love hearing you guys' feed back. Ciao!

Of course they forgot about the drones, because why should the paladins get the chance to have an easy mission where everything goes nicely?

Keith yelled as he flew black through the mass of Galra ships, firing left and right and hoping that he at least hit something before he had to move on. The yellow and blue paladins were likewise occupied, having been summoned from he castle ship after the first wave had proved almost too much for Keith to handle on his own. The green paladin was busy firing on Talon's surface while still being cloaked, confusing the hell out of a few drones that were trying to get a lock on her position. 

"Take this, motherfuckers!" Pidge yelled, whooping loudly as she saw Acxa and Lotor dive behind a boulder to avoid being hit. 

"Language, Kaitie," Shiro warned. 

"Yes,  _Dad_ ," Pidge snorted. 

"Lay off Captain America and focus Pidge," Lance yelled. "I've got almost no visibility down here and Anita needs to get back to the castle. The suit Lotor gave her isn't the best for fleeing across a planet with no oxygen." 

"Yeah, yeah I got it." 

Pidge continued raining down holy fire while Lance tugged his sister over to Red, who was waiting with her jaw open. It took everything Keith had to not look at the planet, not track Lance's slim form as the siblings ran over the blue surface. He desperately wanted to land Black in front of Red and guard Lance's back until they could load up and leave the blue moon. He heard Lance say something to his sister in Spanish before a shot and a yell echoed through the coms. 

"Lance," Shiro yelled, worry lacing his tone. "Everything okay down there?" Lance didn't answer for a while. There was only grunts and a strained squeal before a few minutes of silence. 

"Lance?" Pidge asked.

"Lance, buddy," Hunk muttered nervously. "You okay?"

Lance didn't answer. The team heard a few more grunts and something muttered in a soft, feminine voice that sounded both incredulous and angry at the same time. 

"Lance," Keith growled. "You'd better answer your coms now!" 

There was one more blaster shot before, "We're good." Everyone relaxed at the sound of Lance's voice through the coms. 

"I'm loading Anita up in Red, we're gonna head back now." Lance grunted once before they heard the sound of Red's machinery moving around him. 

"Alright, we'll cover you, just get up in the air. Allura, come back to the castle to get a worm hole started." Shiro issued orders like a general, barking to the paladins as they flew around to keep the drones and Lotor's ship off of the red lion as it rose into the air. 

No one breathed evenly until the red lion was on board and they were flying through the wormhole to another galaxy lightyears away from Lotor and his cronies. Strongly enough, Lotor made no attempt to follow them, not even sending a droid to chase the ship as it flew away. They didn't figure out why until they had to force Red's jaw open to get to the cockpit. The blue paladin-turned-red didn't greet them when they entered. All they saw was the slumped form of Lance's sister, passed out and curled into the pilot's chair, her slumped form leaning against one of the armrests heavily. Hunk tried to wake her to ask where Lance was, but his soft shakes and increasingly anxious cries of 'Anita' only got him a pained groan in response. 

Suddenly, they heard a roar and loud crashes outside the lion. Hunk carried Anita as they ran out to see what was happening. 

Blue was rampaging. She'd already rammed her head into a hanger door while she roared and growled at her neighboring sister, Red. Through the faintest link Keith still shared with Red, a link that was as thin as a stand of spiderweb and getting fainter every day, he felt something like guilt and sadness. 

"Red you didn't," he breathed, the hope in his chest plummeting as he watched the lion slump forward underneath Blue's glaring yellow eyes. "Red, please tell me you didn't!" The rest of the team watched him strangely as he had a one-sided conversation with the sentient space cat. 

"Red, you didn't leave Lance did you!?" As he screamed at her. Slowly, horrified understanding dawned on his team's faces. 

 _He asked me to._ Red responded guiltily. 

* * *

 

**A few vargas ago, before the rescue attempt.**

**Keith's POV:**

I paced in front of Lance's door nervously. I wanted to knock on it and talk to him, maybe offer comfort like he had for me when Shiro vanished, but every time I started to knock something caught in my throat and I started pacing again. The Lance on the bridge had been so much colder than the one I'd grown used to. The Lance that smiled as quickly as he frowned and laughed like he had to put every fiber of his being into it every time was gone. I shivered and bit my thumb nervously, staring at the door again. 

Allura said that we were only a few doboshes away from Talon moon and it's planet sister Blythe which was a huge planet, much bigger than Earth with a distinctly purple surface. I had to get Lance and let him know. Hesitatingly, I knocked on the door. 

"Come in,"Lance called. The door slid open with a soft hiss and I walked in. 

Lance was sitting on his bed with his head in his hands. He looked up when I walked in, the lights weren't on so I couldn't see him very well, but I could have sworn that he smiled a bit when he saw me. The thought sent a tingle of warmth down my spine. 

"Keith, buddy, what is it?" He asked nonchalantly, but I could tell that he was trying hard to keep his tone light.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Also, we'll be at Talon in a few minutes." Lance's face fell a bit, the softness sliding away like it had on the bridge. 

"Oh," he said. "Well I guess I'd better get up." He stretched as he stood, something popping in his back. I watched as he went to the desk which rested underneath a wall filled with images. I hadn't been in Lance's room before now so I wasn't sure exactly what they were, but even in the dark I could make out something like photographs and drawings. I couldn't make out the details, but some of the sketches looked really good. 

"I didn't know that you could draw," I said, trying to strike up a conversation. Lance looked up at his wall while pulling on the arm guards from his armor that had been sitting on his desk. He looked up at the images.

"Just a bit, it's something to keep me occupied." 

"They look really good," I offered. He smiled for a bit before his face began to crumble, sadness replacing the soft happy expression. 

"Lance," I asked, surprised. "Are you okay?" 

"Keith," he said. "If something happens to me, promise that you'll get Anita back to Earth."

"Lance, nothing's going to happen." I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't know that!" He exploded, throwing the remaining arm guard across the room. It made a banging noise as it hit the wall above the bed before flopping onto the mattress. 

"Lance, calm down! I promise it'll be okay," I tried, but he wasn't having any of it. 

"No, Keith, it won't." He ran a hand through his hair. "Even if everything goes perfectly, it won't be alright! Lotor knows about my family now. He knows where they live and how to get to them! I have a five year old niece and a four year old nephew. What happens if he decides to go after them?"

"Lance, we'll keep them safe."

"How? How are we going to keep an eye on Earth if we're flying around to a different galaxy every day fighting a space war!" He started jerking like he didn't know where to put his hands or what to do with the rest of his body. I could hear his breathing pick up and the beginnings of a panic attack in the harsh mutters as he held onto his head and curled in on himself. A flash of panic ran through me but I pushed it down and took Lance by the shoulders, looking him in the eye. 

"Lance, breathe," I said sternly. I started counting and he shakily began to follow my instructions. "Good, just keep breathing and listen to me." He nodded. 

"Lance, we will get your sister back, Lotor is not going to hold her over your head. And after that we'll figure out what to do about your family, even if it means we have to take them all with us we're gonna keep them safe. Okay? Do you believe me?" He nodded miserably. 

"I want to hear you say it." I cupped his face and raised it so that he was looking me in the eye. The denim blues were lined with red from tears in the aftermath of the panic attack. 

"I-I believe you," he said sniffling. 

"Then finish getting dressed and come on," I tried smiling, it seemed to work since he relaxed a bit into my hands. I ignored the shiver that traveled up my arms when his breath tickled the skin of my exposed inner wrists. Damn it, I should have kept my jacket on. "We're going to get your sister back."

I tried to pull away but he grabbed onto my hands, holding me in place. I looked at him, confused.

"Keith," he breathed out. "Thanks, man."

"Any time," I whisper. 

* * *

 

Red descended to the surface of Talon while I stayed back in Black, the cloaking device that Pidge implanted into the lion working to keep me hidden. We'd seen Lotor's ship descend a few minutes earlier. 

"Alright, buddy," he said when Red landed, sending up a cloud of blue dust. "I'm climbing out of Red. I'll leave the coms on so I can call you if I need you."

"Lance," Shiro said from his spot in the control center. He was going to be monitoring the situation while Keith and Lance put the plan into action. "Make sure you grab Anita as soon as you give the signal. We can't have her getting caught up in Keith's cross fire."

I frowned. Shiro of all people should know that I wouldn't hit Lance or his sister. Sure I wasn't the greatest shot, but still. 

"Got it, Space Dad." I saw Lance climb out of red, blaster at his side, before walking over to where Lotor waited, holding onto a struggling Anita while his blue general stood off to the side, guns at the ready. 

"Hello, Lance." The sickly sweet tone wound through our coms and I swore I could feel everyone tense. I settled in to wait for the signal, some song that Lance and his sister knew, keeping my hands on the controllers. I'd promised lance that we'd save his sister, and we would. 

* * *

 

Anita nearly cried as she saw her brother exit the giant red mechanical lion. A crazed giggle worked its way up her throat but she held it back. Her brother was basically a space power ranger! He even had the armor. She ducked her head, biting her lip to keep the laughter in. Her brain told her it was stress making her react this way, but she was pretty sure that it was the image of her brother and the other people he'd been with during the video call doing power poses and yelling dumb chants before going into battle. 

To be fair though, she didn't look much better. Since the only thing about this moon that was similar to earth was its gravity, she'd been given a suit to help her breath. It was remarkably similar to Lotor's general's suit, all black with a dark blue symbol on the front. Anita could breathe, but Lotor had warned her that the oxygen in her suit was limited, telling her after she put the helmet on, a sickening smile on his face. She tried to breath shallowly after that. At least he'd taken the handcuffs off. 

Lance stopped about ten feet away from Lotor. 

"Ready to surrender, Little Paladin?" Lotor hummed, his grip tightening on Anita's arm. "I thought you'd put up more of a fight." Lance glared and leveled the huge gun he was holding at Lotor. The blue chick immediately did the same with her blasters, honing in on Lance. 

"Let me see my sister, now." He yelled. 

 

Lance walked towards Lotor, blaster at the ready, calling himself ten different kinds of idiot for not planning better. Lotor didn't react when he pointed the gun at him, even though Acxa moved to point both of her blasters at Lance's face. 

"Now, is that any way to ask for a favor, Lance," Lotor taunted, wrapping an arm around Anita's shoulders. Lance gritted his teeth when she flinched. He couldn't see her face through the helmet, but he knew his sister well enough to know that she was really uncomfortable. 

"Please, let me see my sister," he grit out. He'd play Lotor's game if it meant there was a chance to get his sister away from him so they could start running. He'd love to see the look on Lotor's face when Keith starts raining holy hellfire from above. 

"Hmm," Lotor stroked the chin of his helmet, like he was actually considering Lance's request. He looked at Lance, smirk firmly in place. Unlike Anita's helmet, Lotor's visor was completely see-through. "I don't think so, Paladin." Lance heard Anita make a strangled noise through the helmet. 

"I'd rather not give you and this sweet morsel a chance to escape when I've finally managed to lure you here." 

"So you're going back on our agreement."

"That would be correct." Lotor grinned. "Now, if you don't mind, please put down your weapon and let Acxa cuff you. I'd hate to have to damage my star prisoner."

"Fine, Prince Lotion," Lance said diffusing his bayard into his armor and holding his hands up, empty. "You win." 

That wiped the smile off of Lotor's face, suspicion rising to replace it. This wasn't like the blue paladin, Lance had never given up this easily before. Had Lotor overestimated him?

"Anita," Lance said. The helmeted girl at Lotor's side jerked, raising her head so that she was looking at Lance. He smiled at her softly. "I'm sorry, hermana, looks like  _It's Time to Say Goodbye."_

 

Three things happened at once, well, four. 

One: Keith began assaulting the blue dwarf planet with all the fury of an avenging god, scaring the piss out of Acxa in the process. The black lion dropped their cloak and began shooting blasts at the surface around the small group. Lotor stayed still, his arm still around Anita while he stared at the lion that hadn't been there five ticks ago. 

Two: Anita gripped the hand resting on her right shoulder with her left hand and twisted out from under Lotor's arm. The shocked half-Galran had no chance to react to the unnatural angle that the human girl had pulled his arm into before she brought her free elbow down on the prince's exposed forearm, making something crack sickeningly and causing Lotor to bellow in pain. She kept her grip on his arm, grinding the broken bones together the way the lady cop had shown her at the self-defense class, before bringing her face as close to his as possible and screaming like a banshee, disorienting him further. She dropped the broken arm and began streaking over to where her brother stood. 

Three: Lance reformed his bayard and began firing at the two Galrans, aiming for their ankles so they would stay back and give Anita enough time to get to him. He didn't feel the least bit of sympathy for Lotor. Anita had done a damn good job. He could hear the prince growling at them as he was forced to jump and dodge with a broken limb to avoid Lance's fire. 

Four: Lotor yelled a command and swarms of drone fighters began pouring out of the prince's ship, attacking the black lion like a swarm of gnats, making Keith stop firing in order to dodge them all. 

Lance swore as he did his best to keep firing at the Galra behind him, while running headlong to Red with Anita in front of him. Before he could blink, though, Acxa was infant of him, trying to bring her gun down on his head. They locked blasters, Acxa growling as Lance pushed against her grunting at the amount of force the woman was able to put on his gun. 

Lotor stalked towards them, arm hanging limply at his side, eye's burning with fury. 

"Give up, Paladin, you won't win," Acxa grunted. 

"We'll see about that," Lance said. "Anita!" At his yell, Anita turned and swiftly jumped between them, delivering a chop to Axa's throat. The general backed off, choking and gasping for air against the glass of her helmet. Lance and Anita wasted no time in running to the lion. Dimly, Lance heard Keith request back up and Shiro order the rest of the paladins to head into the fray. 

"Take this, motherfuckers!" Pidge yelled loudly into the coms. 

"Language," Shiro shouted automatically. Lance grinned as Pidge took up the assault on Talon's surface. He loved that little gremlin. 

"Yes,  _Dad_ ," Pidge snorted. Lance chuckled. It was only a dozen more yards to the lion, hope swirled in his chest. It was quickly shot to hell when a stray blast from a Galra fighter landed to the left of him and Anita. It sent up a cloud of blue dust, blocking out his vision and forcing him to grab Anita so he wouldn't lose sight of her. 

"You okay?" He asked when he heard her panting. 

"Helmet... Low... Air," Anita pointed to her helmet and Lance understood immediately. Lotor had really wanted to make sure there was no way she could escape. 

 

"Lay off Captain America and focus Pidge," Lance yelled. "I've got almost no visibility down here and Anita needs to get back to the castle. The suit Lotor gave her isn't the best for fleeing across a planet with no oxygen."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Pidge replied, turning her attention back to destroying fliers and peppering the ground in front of the Galrans with blasts from her lion. 

Lance slowed, trying to see his way through the dust in order to get back to his lion. Anita walked beside him, breathing as shallowly as possible.

< _You've got some..._ > she began. < _Interesting friends, hermano._ > 

< _Yeah, >_ he chuckled, slipping back into Spanish when she did. < _You'll love them. It's almost as wild as home. >_ 

< _I'm sure. >_ She gripped her brother's hand tighter, relishing the feeling of having her family back. < _Tell me, do you have a team chant?_ > 

Lance groaned. Leave it to his sister to tease him right after he saved her from a purple dictator. 

< _I tried to start one, but Mullet couldn't figure it out._ >

Something made a loud noise behind him and a sharp pain ran through his side, just above his hip. Lance yelled out, stumbling. He didn't need to look to know what had happened. He'd been shot, plain an simple. Whether or not it was Acxa or Lotor didn't matter, though he'd put money down on Acxa. 

Lance fired over his shoulder, hoping that he'd at least drive his attacker away if not hit them. Anita squealed in dismay at the sight of blood dribbling down her brothers front and immediately slung his arm across her shoulders. Shiro asked him a question but he ignored it, choosing instead to push forward towards the lion while Anita tried to support his weight, swearing like a sailor the whole time about how heavy he was.

He heard different members of his team ask if he was okay, but ignored them as well. Something was turning itself over in his brain. A question that had a simple yes or no answer. The blood seeped through his flight suit and began trickling down his leg. When he finally reached Red, the lion was growling at his attackers, her jaw already open and waiting for him to walk through. Lance turned off his com when he entered Red, coming to a decision. 

Lotor wanted a paladin, more importantly, Lotor wanted  _him_. Lance thought back to what he and Keith had talked about before the mission. The black haired boy had been so sure that they could do this, and so warm as he reassured Lance that his family would be okay. Lance had agreed, but deep in his heart he knew. Even if they got away today, Lotor would just take someone else he cared about, someone less street smart than Anita, someone like his niece and nephew or any of his other siblings and cousins. Lance wasn't going to let that happen. 

"Anita," he said, blood loss making him sway a bit. "I need you to take the lion and go to the castle, Red will get you there in one piece."

"What are you talking about?" She asked, a frown creasing her forehead. 

"Lotor wants me, not the rest of the team. If I stay behind he'll leave you alone and you can get back home." He turned his com back on, preparing to reassure his team. 

As soon as he turned the com back on he heard Keith growling in his ear. "Lance, you'd better answer your coms now!" Lance jerked at the loudness of the former red paladin's voice.

"What?" Anita whisper shouted at the same time. "I'm not leaving you behind!" Lance sighed.

In one quick move he pulled his sister close, giving her a brief hug before raising his blaster, setting it to stun, and firing against her shoulder. Anita slumped forward, her mouth open in a surprised "o" before she fell into his arms. As gently as he could, Lance maneuvered her into the pilot's chair, tucking her legs in so she'd be smushed in place and less likely to flop around during the trip back to the castle. He removed her helmet for good measure, just to be sure that she'd be able to breath. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead before turning away. 

"We're good," Lance said into the com, he heard the team sigh in relief. "I'm loading Anita up in Red, we're gonna head back now." Lance grunted as he stood up, it felt like his entire right side was no fire. 

 _Red, Baby Girl,_ he thought.  _Can you get my sis back to the castle?_ Red rumbled, the sound filling him with a sense of worry and confusion. 

 _No, beautiful, I'm not coming back with you. I've got to make sure Prince Jackass doesn't go after anyone else that I love, that includes the team._ Red growled in protest. She could protect her paladin, her little cub that had risen to the challenge when they'd had to switch lions. It didn't matter that he'd been Blue's cub first, he was  _hers_ now, and she wouldn't leave him behind.

Lance smiled at the protective feelings the lion was sending him. They washed over him in waves, calming the pain from the wound in his side.

_I appreciate the sentiment Red, but I'm not going back. So I'm asking you to please protect the only blood family I have out here and get her back to safety._

Red rumbled again, reluctantly agreeing. 

_That's my girl, now go._

Lance climbed out of the lion just as Red closed her jaw and took off, leaving him behind on Talon's surface. Just as she soared past the black lion, something heavy slammed into Lance's back, pinning him to the ground and sending a wave of pain through his body.

"That was a bad decision,  _Lance_ ," Lotor drawled menacingly into his ear, the Galran holding him down with one hand on his head and the rest of his weight on Lances back. Lance let himself go limp, his vision blurring. 

 _As long as she's safe and they get away, that's enough._ He thought before passing out.

* * *

**Back on the Castle Ship:**

Keith sat in the chair in Lances room, keeping an eye on the sleeping form of Anita. They'd decided to tuck her into Lance's bed after checking to make sure that she was just knocked out and not majorly injured. Coran had said that it would probably be best o let her come out of her sleep naturally since a pod would only confuse her. 

Keith grunted in frustration, before turning to look at the pictures on Lance's wall, tears blurring his vision.  _Dammit Lance! This wasn't how it was supposed to happen!_ He clutched his chest, where a burning angry feeling was pulsing against his ribs. His heart hurt. He felt betrayed and angry, not at Lance but at Red and himself. He had trusted Lance with Red, but he'd also trusted Red with Lance and she'd let him down. He knew it wasn't fair to the lion, but he couldn't help it. 

He'd kicked himself over and over for not looking back at the planet, for just believing that Lance had forgotten his fears from earlier and had decided to come back to them. He should have done more to reassure him. He should have gone to Talon himself and watched Lance climb into the lion before taking off. He swore that, as soon as they got Lance back, he was gonna pin a tracker to the other boy so he could keep track of his every move. So that, whenever Lance was feeling particularly self sacrificing, Keith could call 'bullshit' and jerk the boy back by the hood of his stupid bomber jacket.

He sniffled, feeling absolutely miserable. Shiro wouldn't have let this happen if he'd still been flying Black. Keith had absolutely failed as a leader. Not only had he lost his right hand man, his teammate. He'd lost a friend, maybe something more.

A gasping sound behind him made Keith twist back to look at the bed. Anita was sitting up feeling her shoulder and touching a hand to her face. Anger suddenly bloomed across her features, pushing away the confused shock that had been there when she'd woken up. 

"That bastard fucking shot me!" She screeched. 


	5. You got me ringin' Hells Bells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor may have bitten off more than he can chew with Lance.
> 
> The team deals with Lance's absence. While Anita lets them get a front row seat to the McLain's particular brand of stubborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo, my darlin's! I apologize for the late update, but I've had the week from hell and was finally able to get something out. It probably needs editing, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. I may go back and make corrections later. Happy reading!

**Keith's POV**

We let Anita shower and get dressed before trying to ask her anything. I stood awkwardly outside of Lance's room, listening to the sounds of the shower and the rustles of Anita getting dressed. I admit that it was a bit creepy but someone needed to be there to show her around the ship. Allura had already been by with a change of clothes for Lance's sister, since the two were similar in height, leaving them on the bed while the girl was in Lance's bathroom.

The door hissed open. Anita stood there with her hair damp and curly, looking a lot better than she had on the video from Lotor.

"Alrighty, Keith, was it?" I nodded, too busy staring at her to say anything. I'd seen the outfit Allura had left in the room. This wasn't it. The clothes Allura had left were a pair of light blue Altean-style leggings and a tunic style dress with a pair of soft slippers to round it out. Anita had forgone the dress and slippers and was instead wearing the leggings underneath Lance's blue and white base ball tee and green jacket. If she hadn't been wearing her boots the outfit would have been almost identical to Lance's. 

"Why are you wearing that?" I growled. Probably not the best way to start a conversation, but the way that Lance's jacket hung off of Anita's shoulders, and the way the shirt sagged in the front just made me remember that he wasn't here. That, despite their similarities, Anita wasn't Lance, not even a decent replacement. No one could replace our sharpshooter.

"Uh, one because it's cold as a witch's tit in this place so I needed a jacket." Anita glared at me, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised irritably. "Two, as cute as that dress is, if I'm going to get my big bro back, I need to be mobile, not pretty, and slippers and a dress ain't gonna cut it."I could see the logic in that but still...

"We could have gotten you a jacket and a shirt or something," I grunted half-heartedly. "You didn't have to take his clothes." She waved her hand, ignoring me.

"He'll get them back, we do this all the time. I'm pretty sure this shirt was mine anyway before he stretched it out." I gaped at that. Somehow, it didn't surprise me that Lance would be the kind of older brother to take his sister's shirts. "Anyway," she continued. "We supposed to be goin' somewhere?" Blue eyes looked at me expectantly.

"Yeah, Allura want's us in the control room."

"Big place, lots of chairs and glowey beepey things?" She asked, wiggling her fingers ominously.

"Yeah, how did you-"

"I saw it earlier, dude. Remember, during space Facetime with the prince of questionable fashion choices?" 

"Oh, yeah." I turned away wondering if it was healthy for two siblings to be so alike and began walking to the control room. "Come on, I'll show you the way."

"Yippie skippy," she muttered, sarcastically monotone, her slight, whispy Cuban accent making the words sound off. "Beam me up, mullet man." I stopped and stared at her, jaw hanging open. 

"I thought you were siblings, not clones." 

 

 

We made it to the bridge not nearly as fast as I wanted to and I was so happy to hand Anita over to Allura that I nearly cried while retreating to my seat. It's not like she bothered me or anything, it's just... Yeah, she bothered me. For a lot of reasons. Chief one being that she was way too much like Lance. 

The whole way here, Anita had asked question after question, about her brother, Voltron, the lions, what the Alteans were like. More than that, she kept referring to us as Space Power Rangers. Which I found offensive, mainly because that had been a horrible show, and we were paladins, just paladins. Though I would be lying if I said that I didn't see the similarities. 

Anita shared Lances chatterbox personality, his tan skin and blue eyes, even the way they moved their hands when they spoke. I'd had to stop myself from referring to her as Lance at one point. But for all their similarities, there were also gaping differences. 

For instance, Anita always walked perfectly strait, keeping her posture perfect with every step she took, whereas Lance often slouched or hunched, hands in his pockets or swinging by his sides. She listened when I talked, but her listening was like she was absorbing the information to recall later on a test, while Lance would watch you calmly with a small smile on his face, making you feel like he wanted to hear it and that you could trust him with anything. Of course that wasn't all the time, a lot less often when it came to our conversations, but that's how he usually acted. 

The biggest thing that I couldn't get over was the hight difference. Where I had to look up at Lance, his sister and I were eye level with each other. It felt weird to look straight ahead and see familiar blue eyes instead of a brown collar bone like I was used to. I'd found out recently, that if Lance gave me a hug I was the perfect hight to hide my face in the junction between his shoulder and neck. I hadn't done that, of course, but the knowledge that I could made me smile a bit. 

"This is hunk and Pidge, the yellow and green paladins, respectively." Allura said, motioning to the two who are watching Anita with both curiosity and a tinge of fear.

Hunk and Pidge introduced themselves to Anita, Hunk hiding behind the small green paladin, who glared at Lance's jacket on Anita's smaller frame. Good, I wasn't the only one who was bothered by it. 

 "Nice to meet you guys," Anita said, smiling and offering a hand. "Lance told me a lot about you, Hunk, said you were the best roommate he could ask for. Thank's for keeping an eye on him for me, I know he can be a lot to take at times."

"Well," Hunk sputtered, blushing a bit. "He's an awesome friend. I'm glad we wound up together. It's nice to have someone that tries my recipes for me." 

"I heard about that," Anita said grinning. "And I really need to try these 'better-than-sex-on-a-stick' brownies. I wanna know if they live up to the hype."

Hunk groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "I told him we weren't calling them that," he muttered. 

"No, please call them that," Pidge chimed in, evil grin lighting up her face. "And when you open your bakery, please let me be a server so I can watch peoples faces turn red when they try to order one." 

"Can I work there too?" Anita said, joining Pidge in the realm of maniacal thoughts. "I wanna ask if it was good for them too when I go to give them a check."

Shiro choked on air somewhere behind me and I turned around to see him glaring at the youngest members of our sorry group with absolutely dad-like shock. 

"Please stop," Hunk moaned still hiding in his hands. 

 

It didn't take long for Anita to chat up the rest of the team, whistling loudly when she shook hands with Shiro, blatantly checking out his muscles with a mumbled "nice". After that she sat in Lance's chair, maybe there was such a thing as sibling telepathy, because she didn't even look at the other ones. Blue eyes regarded us expectantly from within a cloud of chocolate curls.

"So," she said motioning with her hands. "How are we gonna get my brother back?" 

* * *

 

**Back on Lotor's ship**

 

Lance opened his eyes and groaned as purple light invaded his retinas. When he got back to earth he was burning every purple item of clothing he owned, including the skinny jeans he'd paid way too much money for. He tried sitting up, only to find that his abdomen was incredibly pissed and not willing to comply with his demands. For all that he was glad to not be dead, being alive currently sucked ass. 

Looking down, he found that he was still wearing his flight suit, thank God, because undressing someone was not only gross and creepy, he really didn't want anyone to see that he was wearing boxers with smiling stars on them. Hey, it's not like there's a wide variety of trunks and briefs in space, he'd had to make do with what he could get on that one space mall trip. 

He finally managed to sit up, groaning and swearing the whole time. he could tell that he was in a Galran prison cell with electric bars blocking off the only exit. A brief inspection revealed that there was a thick pad of bandages taped to his side over the blaster wound.  To add insult to injury (literally) there was a slim chain connecting his ankle to the ground. Meaning that, even if he could walk, he'd only be able to make it to the toilet in the corner and the bench he was currently sitting on that probably doubled as a bed. 

"Bastards," he muttered, shaking his leg and making the chain clink and rattle. 

"Such language for a paladin of Voltron," a voice said, curling around the room like noxious incense smoke. 

"I know," Lance mock-sighed, pretending to be sad. "It's so bad, but I can't find any other word to describe you that holds the same satisfaction." 

Lotor crinkled his nose, not appreciating Lance's sass. 

"Please keep the jokes to yourself, Blue. You aren't quite as amusing as you think you are."

"Fuck you, I'm hilarious," Lance muttered as the glowing bars vanished just long enough for Lotor to step into the cell with him, a teal bundle in his arms. 

"I actually had a few questions for you, Lance," Lotor said, waving his arm and causing a table to pop out of the ground. Man, Lance so wanted to learn to do that.

"An interrogation? Really?" He scoffed. "I'm not gonna tell you anything so don't waste your time." 

Lotor chuckled grimly. "As you pointed out earlier in our conference call, it is my time to waste. And don't worry, I'm not here to interrogate you." He snapped his fingers and the chain around Lance's ankle vanished like it had never been there. "I'm simply curious about a few things." He set the bag on the table and crooked his finger at Lance, inviting the paladin to sit on one of the two chairs that popped up alongside the table. 

"Like what?" Lance asked, curious in spite of himself. 

"Your sister had a number of interesting items on her person, when we collected her." Lotor settled into one of the chairs. 

"On my planet we call it 'kidnapping'," Lance muttered, taking the other chair. Lotor just hmm-ed in response, digging through the large teal bag. One that Lance finally recognized. 

"Is that my sister's purse?" He near shouted. Lotor looked at him in confusion.

"Is that what it's called?" He lifted a stack of paper out of the bag and laid it out in front of Lance. "No matter, could you please decipher this? Acxa says that it's in a code she can't figure out."

Lance barely glanced at the pages. "It's sheet music ya dingus, not a code." 

Lotor ignored the nickname, he was getting good at that. "Sheet music? Interesting. Galra music looks nothing like this."

"That may be because it's, oh, I don't know, from a different galaxy?" Man, Lance was getting a work out in the sass department today. 

"Indeed," Lotor chuckled while nodding. "Now I want to ask about these," he pulled a small white carton from the bag. "Our scanners say that they contain poison. I'd like to know about why humans feel the need to carry them if that's the truth. Is earth so dangerous?" 

Lance hardly heard him, too busy staring at the table. Joy ran through him, he hadn't seen cigarettes in months. Not that he'd ever been addicted to them, but he had enjoyed one on special occasions. Careful to never make it a habit. The packet, emblazoned with the word Cohiba, made him want to burst into tears. Cuban cigarettes, a taste of home, was right in front of him, half full and waiting to be breathed in. 

The joy was quickly replaced with anger though. 

"That little idiot!" He seethed. "She knows what cigarettes do to your voice."

"Excuse me?" Lotor looked thoroughly confused. the paladin had looked so happy to have a weapon in from to him a moment ago, but now he was staring at the poison like Lotor had tried to use it on him. 

"These are cigarettes. Earthlings smoke them. It's relaxing. And Anita knows that this will kill your vocal chords if you smoke too often." Lance spoke slowly. "And I'm going to kick her ass the next time I see her." 

"You inhale poison!" Lotor looked horrified. Lance shrugged. 

"Like I said, it's relaxing."

"You must be lying," Lotor gaped at the paladin, who just looked bored. 

"Gimme one, I'll show you." Lotor handed the pack over, morbidly curious. If the paladin tried to make a poison smoke, there was a button that would make a helmet over Lotor's face at a moment's notice. There was no risk in giving the item to Lance. 

Lance plucked one thin tube out of the box and dug around in Anita's purse for a lighter. Not finding one, he settled for touching the tip to one of the electric bars that had reformed. Once the tip was cherry red, he raised it to his lips and sucked in the first taste of Cuba he'd had since starting the Garrison, sending the smoke out through his nose. Oh, that was fantastic. He sat back on his chair, puffing a few more times while Lotor watched him with something like horrified awe. 

"Doesn't that hurt?" The prince asked. 

"No man. I mean, sure it's bad for you, but the most you get from smoking is a nicotine buzz. Wanna try?" He gestured at the packet, half hoping Lotor would try one and he could laugh as the prince doubled over, coughing and retching the way every first time smoker did. 

"No thank you." 

"Your loss," Lance muttered, miffed that he wouldn't get his fun. He watched the prince closely. No matter what Lotor said, Lance knew this was an interrogation. He'd been on enough first dates to know that when you wanted to know about someone, you kept the attention on them, asking them questions, getting them comfortable. An interrogation and a diplomatic meeting work the same way, he'd found. First you lure the other party into a false sense of security, then you attack. 

Thinking fast, Lance decided to test the waters.

"You know, nice as this is, my team is going to come for me soon." 

"Are you sure about that?" Lotor rose to the bait, the purse of earth curios forgotten. His voice turned soft, almost seductive. It was a slimy sort of seduction, meant to get under your skin and scrape out your insides like sand paper. 

"What do you mean," Lance asked, playing along. He knew Lotor's game. Knew that the Galra was smart, that he could probably sense Lance's insecurity and that he'd lock on to it. From here on out, it was time to play mental chess. 

"Well, you don't seem to contribute much to the team, do you?" Lotor kept his voice even, casual and innocent, like he was just making an observation. Like he hadn't analyzed Lance to the point that the question was custom made to cut him down. 

"Sure I do," Lance shouted, pitching his voice to sound just a bit desperate. He could act too. 

"Really,"Lotor countered. "How?" 

"I'm the sharpshooter, I watch their backs." The words came out easily, he said them in front of his mirror every morning like a mantra. 

"But couldn't someone else do that? They wouldn't even have to be a paladin, would they? The old advisor could tote a gun well enough in his time if I remember correctly." Lotor shrugged, the motion looking odd on his usually poised frame.  

Lance did his best not to react, not to let Lotor get into his head any more than he already had. He inhaled the tobacco smoke once more to keep calm. This wasn't new information. He reminded himself. It was just something else he whispered to himself every day. 

"I'm a paladin of Voltron," Lance stated, going for sulky. "I'm a part of the team." 

"Oh really," Lotor quipped. The soft tone wound its way through the smoke and seemed to wrap around Lance like he was covered in sticky fly paper. "Because I've been watching you, Blue. You and your team. And would you like to know what I think?" Lotor leaned forward, elbows resting on the table, his chin propped up by his joined fingers.

"Not really," Lance muttered petulantly.

"I think," the prince continued. "That you are quite replaceable."

"No," Lance breathed. Keeping his emotions in check was becoming increasingly more difficult. It would not be a good idea to antagonize this man before he knew that his team was coming. He brutally squished down the niggle of doubt that crept up at the thought.  

"Really?" Lotor chuckled. "Do you think that your 'friends' feel the same way? I believe that they'd be much better off without you, don't you?"

_Yes..._

"You know what I find interesting, your shity-ness?" Lance's temper snapped, the frayed ends stinging as he tapped the ash at the end of the cigarette off onto the table, his face the picture of calm fury. 

"What's that?" Lotor grinned like the cat that got the cream. He knows that he got Lance mad. Knows that the boy is going to retaliate. He can't wait to see the poor human flounder. After all, he needed to boy to put on a show for the paladins watching the interview right now.

 

Before he'd entered the cell, Lotor had opened a channel with the paladins on the castle ship. He wanted them to see how easily he could break their companion. The camera was situated at the shoulder of his suit, small enough that it would escape detection by all but the most thorough of scanners. He hoped they were enjoying it so far, he certainly was. 

Unfortunately for him, Lotor wasn't aware of just how much practice Lance had had at turning words into weapons of destruction. 

 "I find it interesting that, before we took out Zarkon, no one had ever heard of you." He smiled innocently when he saw the prince's eye twitch. "I find it interesting that, no matter where we go, we hear about how you were a disappointment."

"What are you getting at, boy?" Lotor growled. Lance ignored him and continued. 

"I find it interesting that your own men complain about how inept you are, how you don't live up to the true Galra spirit, since you're a halfbreed." One more drag on the shrinking cigarette. "I find it interesting that you were only pulled into existence by the fact that  _me and my team_ took down the emperor, your father. How no one cared where you were until that moment when there was no other option, and now that you're here, they just complain about how you don't hold a candle to the old emperor." Lance flicked ash once more and leaned towards Lotor, setting an elbow on the table and propping his chin up with one hand. He looked Lotor dead in the eye, smirking when he saw the mounting fury there. "I know I don't do much for the team, and you're right, they might be better off without me."

Lance shrugged before delivering the final blow, flawlessly. 

"But I wonder, _Lotor_ , of the two of us, who do you think is more replaceable?" 

Without a word, Lotor slammed his fist into the side of Lance's head, sending the slender boy careening out of the chair, making the cigarette fly into the bars of electricity where it was incinerated. He waved his hand and the table and chairs sank into the ground while he stormed out of the cell, leaving Lance chuckling darkly from his spot on the floor. 

He only remembered to shut off the camera when he made it back to the command center. 

* * *

**Back on the Castle Ship**

The team and Anita watched the screen slack jawed, as Lance turned the conversation back on Lotor and began attacking him. Keith made a mental note to ask Lance about his smoking habit, he didn't believe in drugs but he wanted to make sure that his friend was being responsible. 

Anita and Pidge cried out when Lance toppled out of the chair after Lotor hit him. Soon after that, the video feed stopped and everyone stared at the screen, too shocked to move. 

Anita broke the trance first. 

"Where are your robot cats?" She ground out. 

"In the hanger," Keith answered. "Why?" 

"Cause I wanna try something."

 

The group made it to the hanger sluggishly, still a little zoned out because of the video. Hunk was sniffling, one hand on Pidge's shoulder, while Allura and Coran both looked a bit pale. Shiro stared at the ground like he wanted to murder it. Keith was so focused not the fact that Lance had thought he was replaceable, that the team didn't need him, he hardly noticed when Anita made a beeline for Red, who sat curled inside her protective barrier. 

"Alright, kitty cat," Anita began firmly. Team Voltron looked at her in confusion. What was she trying to do? "I know you want to get Lance back too, so do me a favor and let me in. I've got a few things to say to that idiot." Red kept her particle barrier up, but Keith could feel some sort of emotion from her. An emotion he couldn't identify, but it was recognizable.

"Oh, what," Anita snapped loosing her temper, much the same way Lance had. "You feel bad, so you're gonna lay around while that creep tries to make my brother feel bad about himself? Nu-uh, get up! Show me that the so called 'brave' lions of Voltron can do something other than sulk!" 

At that, Red's eyes lit up and she roared at Anita, the barrier dropping as she stared down the small human girl. 

"I'm not going anywhere,  _Chica_ , so you better get used to me." Anita growled back at Red with just as much emotion. The team waited with bated breath while the girl and robot held a silent stand off. 

After long moments, Red leaned down and opened her jaw to Anita, who grinned fiercely. 

"Good girl, we're gonna get our idiot back." She patted Red's jaw before climbing in and returning with Lance's bayard. They'd found it under the pilot's chair after pulling Anita out. Hunk and Pidge had gone over every inch of the Lion's body for clues before Red put up the barrier. When they'd tried to take it out with them, Red had ejected the two, keeping her paladin's bayard inside the cockpit and sending up her shield. 

"Did she just- Did she just fuckin' subdue Red?!" Pidge sputtered. 

"If I ever go to Cuba," Hunk whispered to Keith in horror. "I'm staying as far from the McLain house as possible."

Keith nodded, but something inside him disagreed. There was a feeling in his gut that was singing and sending shots of tingly electricity from the tips of his fingers to his toes. They had a shot at getting Lance back. If Red was helping, they could track him. 

Lance could come home. And when he did, Keith was going to make sure that he knew he would never be replaceable. 

 

 


	6. Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets a taste of the Druid's magic while the rest of the team deals with his absence. Anita thinks about what will happen when she gets her brother back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, this took a lot longer to get written than I thought. I am so sorry for taking so long with an update and then posting such a short one. Finals are upon me and I'm bracing for the onslaught, but things should shift into a more stable schedule in the next few weeks. I'm gonna try to do at least a chapter a week. Thank's for understanding. 
> 
> Also, if it wasn't obvious, most of the titles are gonna be song references to music that I either listened to while writing, or where referenced in the chapter.

**Lance's POV:**

I wasn't sure when I closed my eyes and fell asleep, but opening them was the worst thing I'd ever done in my life. I groaned, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes, trying to alleviate the headache that was brewing like a waiting storm. 

" _Dios..._ God, I swear if this goes away, I'll attend mass every Sunday and never smoke again." Since the headache didn't miraculously vanish, I figured God was telling me I could still smoke. The church thing was another issue. I revised my promise; if I survived this and escaped from Prince Loquat, I'd be on my knees in a pew every Sunday and pray a rosary every night. 

I gingerly lifted a hand to my cheek, fingering the puffy left side of my face. Damn, Lotor had done a number on my face with that hit. I didn't need a mirror to know that I was bruised and swollen and probably really ugly looking right now, but the skin hadn't been split and none of my teeth felt loose. I closed my eyes again, leaning against the cold wall. The buzzing of the bars was the only thing that filled the silence. 

I tried counting backwards from fifty in first English, then Spanish, then Italian, hoping that would help relax my body. I felt like one of those music boxes with the wind key. It was like someone had turned my key to the point where I was on the edge of breaking, never being able to play music again. 

I was starting to get antsy when the bars dropped out of existence. I could tell by the way the noise suddenly vanished and didn't reappear. I pried open my eyes again.

"Hello Paladin of Voltron." A purple woman with white hair and glowing eyes was standing at the entrance of my cell. Hagar. My breathing began to speed up. No, nonononono! This could not be happening! She leaned in as I scrambled away, getting much closer to my face than I wanted her to be. Two other druids appeared behind her.

"Let's see what you can tell us about Voltron, Red Paladin. I'm going to enjoy breaking you to pieces." Hagar walked away, snapping at the two druids to grab me. 

I scrambled to get away as they approached, hands glittering with electricity, zapping me nearly to unconsciousness. I screamed, not caring if someone heard me. My vision faded in and out as they tugged me down the long hallway and off the ship. Dimly, I thought it would be a good idea to look around to see where I was, but I didn't have the energy. Some of it came back though, when I saw that the room they dragged me to was fitted with an interrogation table. 

I struggled weakly, but it didn't stop them from lifting me onto the table and strapping down my arms and legs. 

"You, Lance McClain, are going to be Voltron's downfall," Hagar cackled. Hearing her use my name like that made my insides quake. "But first I will learn everything about you inside and out. There won't be a moment in your past or present that I am not privy to. It would be wise for you to start talking."

The thread that controlled what came out of my mouth snapped, and I giggled uncontrollably. Shock, it had to be shock. 

"Well, if you insist," I giggled out. "I was born in a wagon of a traveling show, my mama used to dance for the money they'd throw. Papa would do whatever he could; preach a little gospel,sell a couple bottles of doctor good." 

Hagar looked so confused that I had to laugh, which just made her madder.

"You will not mock the head Druid of Emperor Zarkon," she screeched, throwing lightening at me by the fist full. That's when I started screaming again.  

At least she's safe, I thought over and over again. At least she's going home. 

* * *

**Pidge's POV:**

The tiny green paladin was ready to throw her computer at the wall. Good news was, the message from Lotor's ship had been enough for her to put an electronic trace on the ship, tracking it wherever it went. Bad news was, it wen't straight to central command. That little purple fucker wasn't playing around. It was like he knew how badly the paladins needed Lance. Anita was nice enough, and the siblings were as similar to each other as Pidge was with Matt, but it wasn't the same. Speaking of which... 

She reached into a pocket and pulled out the photo. One corner was bent and there was a motor oil stain on the back and a food goo stain on one corner of the front. She'd cried over this picture dozens of times since being in space, and hundreds of times before that. Now she clutched it to her chest as she cried over yet another brother that she'd lost. 

She was in the middle of a loud hiccuping sob when the door slid open. She looked up half expecting to see Lance standing there, one hand on his hip as he leaned against the doorframe, loose, mischievous smile on his lips. It wasn't Lance, which made the sobs come faster. 

Keith watched her, looking extremely uncomfortable. 

"Pidge," he started. "Are you ok?" She shook her head, anger fueling her voice.

"Do I fucking look ok, Kogane," she growled. Keith blanched and stared at the floor regretfully. 

"Yeah, bad question. I'm sorry." Pidge almost expected him to leave after that, but instead he wandered over her cluttered floor and sank onto her mattress, awkwardly looping an arm around her shoulders. 

It was nice in a very Keithy way, but Pidge missed the way that Lance would hold his arms open, giving her a look that said he was offering affection and she could turn him down or accept it if she wanted to. He always let her be the one to decide on whether they hugged or not, never forcing physical affection, something she still wasn't the best with, on her. 

She leaned into Keith stiffly, not used to him enough to completely relax. Keith seemed to pick up on it because he kept his arm loose around her. 

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. She shook her head but began to talk anyway, because if she didn't she would explode on someone who truly didn't deserve it, like Hunk.

"How could he think that he doesn't contribute?" She whisper yelled. "Sometimes he's the only thing that keeps me sane on this ship. Do you know how many lines of code I go through in an hour? Literally thousands! It's a wonder my brain hasn't melted yet, and it's probably because Lance is always checking in on me and making my go to bed when I stay up too late."

"I know," Keith mumbled. "He does the same thing with me about training, and the Black Lion. We're gonna have to tell him this when we get him back."

"Damn straight," Pidge agreed vehemently. "And while we're at it, we're gonna ask about where he learned how to smoke. Cause he looked really cool for a minute there."

"Cigarettes are really bad for you, Pidge." Keith frowned. He wrapped his arm around her more tightly as she began to relax against him. "It's not cool to smoke."

"Oh my God, you sound like a D.A.R.E. instructor," Pidge groaned. "I'm just saying, Lance doesn't often show his cool side."

"I wasn't aware that he had one to be honest," Keith joked.

"Yeah you did," Pidge muttered stifling a yawn. "You're in love with him after all." Pidge pretty much felt Keith's heart stop just then. 

"No I'm not," he stuttered. Fidgeting with his truly ridiculous half jacket.

"Dude, I'm young, not blind." Pidge chuckled.

"You are blind," Keith roared, "even more than I thought if you think I'm in love with that... that..."

"Really cute Cuban boy who sometimes looks at you like you hung the stars too?" She asked slyly. "Oh, and my glasses are fake by the way."

"He doesn't look at me that way," Keith muttered dejectedly.  

"Here, bro, I think you need to try on my glasses." 

 

They fell asleep like that, debating whether or not Lance actually liked Keith after Keith finally stopped denying that he liked Lance too. Keith kept insisting that she was wrong while Pidge steadfastly defended her real life OTP, listing examples of their cute, lovesick moments until her eyes fluttered closed, Keith's following not long after. 

* * *

 

Anita sat on her brother's bed. Seeing her brother on the film had made every part of her run cold. The red lion had been a snap decision on her part, but everything had turned out ok in the end. She fiddled with the red bayard. Debating whether or not to activate it. They'd already tested to see if she could activate it. Turns out that her weapon was one that no one had seen before. A gauntlet the ran from her fingertips all the way up to her elbow. The knuckles buzzed with electricity like a taser, while a thin blade ran up the side of her forearm. It felt perfect for her, despite the fact that she had no idea what to call it. 

She looked around her brother's room. It was neat, but not by normal standards. It was neat by McClain standards. No clothes on the floor or the bed and desk chair, but there were various knick-knacks scattered on the desk top and the shelves in the room, plus the bed was unmade. That last part was more thanks to her than Lance. 

She'd been staring at the wall of pictures for the past hour, taking in the fact that there were more pictures of their family than anything else. She loved the photographs he'd taken and even the sketches he'd done of the aliens they'd seen. It made her feel closer to him, in a way that she'd missed more than anything over the last year and a half. 

She laid back on the bed, not able to relax, drawing Lance's jacket more tightly around her, noting that it smelled like him, something else she'd missed. It was weird, a whole year plus change had gone by, but she could still recognize Lance's scent from all the hugs he'd given her, all the times they'd fallen asleep on the couch, heads on opposite arm rests and legs tangled together. It made her want to laugh and cry at the same time. 

The video of the interrogation had frightened her for various reasons. One, it showed that Lance was definitely in danger of dying out here. Two, it showed that Lance was still struggling with his insecurity despite being a freaking defender of the universe. Anita had seen the way all the other paladins and clenched up when they heard Lance admit that he didn't feel important to the team. Noticed the way Hunk started crying and Pidge looked like she wanted to murder Lotor before immediately sending a virus along the link so they could track the ship. The black haired boy, Keith had looked shaken, staring at her brother with a mix of longing and disappointment. Maybe her brother's crush wasn't so one sided after all. 

The rest of them, Shiro and the two aliens, had looked pained. The red haired man more than the other ones. She'd liked him well enough, he reminded her of her uncle Julio, the one who'd taught Lance to smoke despite their mama's protests. She'd made a decision then, she was going to do everything in her power to get Lance back. You don't leave family behind, even if they do shoot you. 

"I'm gonna get you back,  _hermano,"_ she whispered into the empty room. "And then, we're gonna go home together."

 


	7. Monster Lead Me Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is struggling and Hagar is getting impatient. We all have our own monsters, but what happens when we make a deal with them?
> 
> Anita and the Voltron crew get a bit more desperate to find Lance, and Allura might have to face the fact that she's been neglecting the well being of her paladins. 
> 
> On our darkest days, sometimes the past is all that keeps us company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have emerged! Latest chapter is a bit short but I'm glad I got to pound it out this week. One more final and I get to go home, Yay! Y'all can expect a few more updates a bit more regularly now that winter break is starting.
> 
> I can't believe I frackin' forgot to post a summary the first time, I'm just happy I remembered a title. Sorry about the lackluster summary, it's been a long week. Hope you guys enjoy and please, please, please leave comments!
> 
> Thanks a ton sugar plums!

 

**Lotor's POV**

"He's cute," Ezor muttered from my left. 

"He's covered in bruises and blood, Ezor." That was Acxa, ever the realist. 

"Yeah, he'd probably be cuter without those." The pink, half-Galran wrinkled her nose a bit. "But still, look at him, he's adorable!" Ezor cooed and fluttered her hands at the screen showing Lance passed out on the interrogation table. 

The paladin was still in his bloodstained flight suit, well, the pants at least. Hagar had made sure that he'd have absolutely no protection from her powers as she sent bolts of lightning through his skin and into his inner organs. I hummed, studying the screen. 

"Whaddaya think, Lotor?" Ezor asked popping into my field of vision, the appendage attached to her head bouncing wildly as she grinned at me. "I bet you think he's adorable too!" 

"On the contrary," I said, moving her away with one arm while she pouted. "Despite his attractiveness, I must admit that my feelings on this paladin must be classified as admiration."

"Seriously?" Zethrid scoffed. "Admiration is wasted on these weak hoo-mans." The word 'humans', still new to Zethrid, got caught between her fangs as she said it.

"It's 'humans', Zethrid," Acxa corrected mildly. "With a 'you' sound." The much larger female growled, not liking being corrected in the least. I would know, it had been the largest issue we had when she first joined my generals. 

"Cease, Zethrid," I commanded, feeling more than seeing her tense before relaxing. "Save your bloodlust for the arena. My admiration for the boy has less to do with his strength, and more to do with the fact that I've never seen anyone irritate my father's head druid to such a degree."

"Besides you, ya mean," Ezor chimed in from where she was tracing Lance's figure on the screen. 

"Yes," I conceded. "Besides me." 

At that moment, light flooded the tiny room on the monitor. Hagar, her hunched form throwing it's shadow over the table containing the young human paladin. I grimaced in distaste as she shot some of her purple, quintessence laced power into the boy's still form, waking him from whatever fitful sleep he'd found. 

"Well, Paladin," Hagar spit out, her voice sounding staticky through the monitor but no less vicious. "Are you ready to give in?" 

I winced, rubbing my recently healed arm. That voice, Hagar's gravel laden tone, had followed me into the healing pod two days ago. The Altean technology tweaked by millennias of Galran hands releasing me in less than twenty-four vargas. 

"Can I get maybe five more minutes before you go back to electrocuting my ass?" Lances voice drifted over the observatory room my generals and I were relaxing in. 

Ezor cooed like she was watching a Relox kit bare its small fangs and hiss at a much bigger opponent. The description wasn't far off. 

The blue paladin I'd brought into central command with me had been much more brash, standing straight and glaring at anyone who looked at him. Remembering him back in my interrogation sent a flash of irritation through me. I shouldn't have lost my cool then. Shouldn't have let this Earth _child_ dig into the skin beneath my mask. Thank goodness Ezor hand't been there, she'd have never let me live it down. I had to hand it to the boy though, he'd seen through my game and played like an expert. 

Now, though, he sounded tired. His voice gritty after three days of alternating between Hagar's particular brand of torture, and her continuously repeating questions. Each of which, Lance had answered with sass and misdirection or a reference that none of us could begin to understand. All of which had irritated Hagar more, especially when the boy had then tried to explain those little bits of Earth culture to them. I believe after that she began shocking him more to get him to shut up than to talk. 

It had been almost fun, watching her steadily loose her patience with the new red paladin. Enjoyable even, at the beginning at least. Now I began to fear that she'd kill Lance out of spite more than anything else. 

"Enough!" I heard her roar, lightning arcing across the screen in bright flashes, followed by Lance's cries before he fell limp again. "We broke the human Champion, and we  _will_ break you, boy!" 

"See you..." Lance panted out weakly. "Keep promising... But don't deliver. I'm starting to feel let down." I heard Ezor, Acxa and even Zethrid hiss in sympathy as Lance's body was lit from within again by lightning. Narti kept silent the way she always did, but I saw her grip on the scruff of Kova's neck tighten slightly. 

"Enough of this," Hagar growled, slamming her fist down on a button attached to the wall, making the shackles around Lance's wrists and ankles click open ominously. "If you feel so let down, I suggest you brace yourself. I doubt you'll remain silent after you see what the arena has to offer."

I sat up straighter as Lance stiffened, falling completely silent. She was throwing him in the arena already? 

"Aww..." Ezor grumbled. "She's gonna kill the cutie! Who's gonna drive his kitty cat?"

"That's none of our concern, Ezor. He brought this on himself." Acxa spun on her heel after delivering the final sentence. 

I had to agree with her, despite Ezor bemoaning the loss of yet another "piece of eye candy". As much as Lance had intrigued me, he could have made life a lot easier on himself by just giving in. 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Pidge was shifting through lines of data at a dizzying pace while Hunk watched over her shoulder nervously, thumbnail between his teeth. 

"Hunk, this is your last warning, get that out of my ear or back the hell off!" Pidge yelled. 

"Sorry," the large boy whined. "It's a nervous habit." 

"Well, get over it," Pidge retorted unsympathetically. "It's not gonna help." 

Keith really wished he could have comforted the big man in some way or at least chastise Pidge the way Shiro would have, but to be honest, if she hadn't said something he'd have been about a minute away from blowing up at the large teen too. 

"Anything new, Pidge?" Shiro asked, placing a hand on Hunk's shoulder comfortingly. 

"Not yet, I'm not finding any new info on Lance, but there seems to be a few updates that haven't loaded onto the ship's mainframe yet." Pidge clacked a few more keys, bringing up a few more windows with spinning loading wheels. 

"Let us know when they come through then." 

"Do we really even need to wait for it to load," Anita snapped from Lance's chair. "It's been two days already. It's obvious to anyone that's watched any action movie made in the last decade that they're probably trying to get information."

Keith winced. That same thought had been in the back of his mind too, but that didn't mean he liked hearing the suspicion that Lance was being tortured for info spoken aloud. He could tell that the other's felt the same. 

"We know you're worried about your brother, Anita, but-" Just like Lance had, Anita cut Allura off. 

"I'm not worried, Princess," the shorter girl growled. "I'm pissed. I was worried when the Garrison said Lance disappeared, then declared him dead a month later. I was worried when Pixie stick and his blue girlfriend kidnapped me. I was worried when I saw blood running down my brother's front after he got shot trying to save me. I'm not worried anymore, I'm fucking pissed. I want him back."

"We all do, Miss," Coran tried his best to calm the teen, rubbing her back soothingly, the way he'd done for Lance a few times. 

"Of course we do," Allura spoke up again, recovering from Anita's interruption. "Lance is a Paladin of Voltron, he holds an important place in this war, we wouldn't just leave him behind." 

Keith wanted to growl at the princess. Was that all Lance was to her? A paladin? someone who could pilot a lion and form Voltron? 

"Lance isn't a Paladin of Voltron." Anita stated blankly. 

"What," Allura looked confused. "Of course he is-"

"He's not!" Anita yelled back. "He's an 18 and a half year old from Cuba who got caught up in a war he had nothing to do with. He's my big brother, and an uncle to our niece and nephew. He goes over sheet music with me and helped me do my hair for school dances. He plays the guitar because it makes mama laugh. He has a cigarette when something good happens or when he's stressed. He helps everyone else before trying to help himself. He's stupidly self sacrificing but also a little bit selfish. He pretends to be confident to hide the fact that he's terrified of being left behind."

There were tears streaming down her face as she revealed things about Lance that a few of them already knew, but others were hearing for the first time. Namely, Shiro and Allura.

"He never says no when someone asks him for help, which is probably why he didn't come right back home after getting blasted into space! And I swear to God, if I lose my brother again right after finding him, I'm holding you responsible, Princess!" Anita pointed a finger right against Allura's nose, having moved much closer while she'd been yelling.

Allura nearly went cross-eyed trying to keep track of the digit. "Me? Why?" She gasped out.

"Because this was your war, and you got my brother caught up in it." 

 

A soft beeping drew everyone's eyes away from the two glaring girls and back to Pidge's screen. The tiny green paladin clacked out a few lines of code before turning back to the room, pale faced. 

"They're putting Lance in the arena." She said with a finality that made their hearts stop. 

"When?" Shiro asked, voice sharp and strained. 

"Tomorrow is the first fight." 

"They're trying to break him!" Keith vaulted off of the wall coming to rest behind Pidge despite not being able to understand anything that was on the screen. "How long until we can get there?" 

The question was directed at Coran, who moved to open up a holographic map, face pinched with nerves and mustache looking a bit droopy. 

"It'll be a three quintants at most if we keep opening wormholes."

"Three days," Hunk sniffled, looking like he was on the brink of an anxiety attack. 

"We're going," Anita and Keith said at the same time. 

"Of course we are!" Allura snapped, still looking a bit shaken after being challenged by Anita so blatantly. "Everyone to your chairs, I'm opening a wormhole." 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lance groaned when they tossed him into a cell. There'd been a healing pod somewhere in the last few hours, but he couldn't place when. All he knew was that the wound above his hip no longer hurt, but he felt drained to the core.

"Well, this is a right mess you've gotten us into, huh?" He heard the voice, had been hearing it since yesterday, gingerly he opened his eyes. 

"What do you want?" He asked the Lance look alike that lounged against the wall of the cell. 

"The same thing you want." The shadow Lance said. "I wanna get out of here. It's obvious that the gang isn't coming and you know that they're gonna come put us in the arena any moment now."

"So what?" He mumbled, not caring if the guard outside the cell heard him talking to his hallucination. 

"So," Shadow Lance pushed off the wall and crouched in front of Real Lance. "You need me." The hallucination grinned mockingly. "Remember all that fun we had that one time? I know I do." 

Lance remembered. He remembered the feel of an aluminum bat in his hands as he brought it down on Nigel's ribs hearing one crack, then another. Remembered the way he and his brothers had left the other man a pathetic mess in the street after daring to hit Carmen, who'd been so lucky that the baby had survived her boyfriend's assault. 

"Those people in the arena, they aren't gonna be innocent," Shadow Lance continued. "They aren't gonna go easy on you, and right now I'm the only one in your corner. You're too soft on your own. So hows about you just let me tell you what to do from now on, deal?" The figure held out a hand.

Lance knew that it was just a hallucination, that he'd been in his right mind when he'd attacked Nigel, that he'd be in his right mind when he fought in the arena. But God it felt so good to blame it on the other Lance. The shadow man made up of his darker feelings that never made it to the surface. And the hallucination hadn't been wrong. He'd be dead meat if he went into the arena and held back against his attackers just because they were prisoners like him.  

Slowly, Real Lance reached out. 

"Okay," he said, and shook hands with his own personal monster, who just kept grinning.

 

 

 

 


	8. Dance with the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has his first arena fight and the team isn't expecting what they see on the feed that they hijacked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so late and pretty short. Sorry bout that, don't be too mad at me it's been a crazy few weeks. I'll post as soon as I have a bit of time. As always comment and let me know what you think.   
> I don't own Voltron or any characters.

**Lance's POV:**

_Ew ew ew ew..._

Lance sank his thumbs deeper into the eyes of the alien creature currently trying to claw at his face. There were two conflicting thoughts running through his brain. 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...' and 'Please, God, Jesus, Mary and Joseph don't let the eyeball juice get on my clothes.' None of this showed on his face as he continued to shove his thumbs further into the slowly hollowing eye sockets. 

" _It's alright, Lancey-Lance,"_ the cruel voice of his shadow self whispered. " _He started off with six, I've only gotten rid of four."_

_. . . . . . . ._

Any Galra who'd ever had the dubious pleasure of meeting the Paladins of Voltron would tell you that the Paladin that wore the blue armor was excessively chatty and had one of the most expressive faces imaginable. Imagine their surprise and displeasure to see him walk into the ring, expressionless and quiet. A far cry from the fear-crazed babbling mess they'd been looking forward to. Hundreds of Galrans, from generals to foot soldiers, screamed at the slender boy who stood silently waiting for his opponent to show. The, in their minds at least, poor foot soldiers were taking bets, wagering their (once again, only in their minds) hard earned and too small salary on how soon it would take for the Paladin to cry, or get brutally eviscerated, they weren't picky. 

Lance had stood there and taken the threats and jibes, the Galran soldiers foaming at the mouth trying to get some reaction out of him. Little did they know that, in a deep corner of his mind, where he'd retreated before the match, Lance was hiding. Lance was hiding and quivering because of the noise, because of the fear, because everywhere he looked there was nothing but enemies. Shadow Lance, though, was relishing the chaos. Lance was just keeping his body alive, Shadow Lance was the one driving the train. 

They brought out his opponent, a large scaly purple alien with four arms and six eyes. It's head was elongated like a boar's but a bit too short to be exactly the same. Tusks sprouted from its mouth and curled back to where small hippo ears fluttered on the top of it's head. It was wearing a collar with an inch wide section that glowed red. Lance didn't know what it did nor did he really care at the moment, because as soon as the cage door separating the fighter from the arena opened, the alien was charging at him.

After that, everything was a blur.

Lance knew every self-defense move that the Police Officers in Varadero had seen fit to teach him. He'd pressured his sisters to take the classes, but he'd be damned if he didn't learn how to defend himself too. Being a guy didn't prevent rape, just made you a less likely target as his officer had lovingly quoted at him day after day while teaching him to break someone's fingers.  

He'd never been able to do it so far, could never bring himself to hurt another being like that. 

Shadow Lance could. Shadow Lance broke six. And while Real Lance huddled in some part of his brain, Shadow Lance grinned for the first time since stepping into the ring.

* * *

**Pidge's POV:**

They'd muted the feed right after the fight started. Pidge had been against it, but a warning look from Shiro and glance at Anita, who was sleeping curled up in Lance's old chair, had her pressing the mute button with only a slight grumble. 

That didn't stop her from practically feeling the pops and cracks the bones of the purple alien made as they snapped. 

Lance had started off running; dodging between the boulders and sub-par weapons that littered the ring. The purple alien had followed, spittle dribbling from it's mouth as it roared and tossed it's head, flashing two sets of fangs and a line of molars. There had been no fear in Lance's face as they watched him zig zag his way around the arena, just a cold, calculating look that sent shivers up her spine. After about ten minutes of dodging, he'd started methodically hitting the alien's weak spots, the eyes and ears, at one point he'd jabbed the behemoth in the jugular. Not to say that the monster... _Alien_ , Pidge reminded herself. Not to say that the alien had just let him do it. Their friend was covered in claw marks and there was a bite on his shoulder. But Lance was still standing, and that's all that mattered to Pidge. 

"This may sound a bit cruel," Allura whispered, mindful of Anita. "But I really didn't expect Lance to do so well." Pidge couldn't even turn away long enough to glare at the princess who was pale and shaking after opening about a dozen worm holes in less than 24 hours. They'd had to stop so she could rest, but it would still take them another day to reach their destination. 

"He's using self defense techniques that the garrison teaches during basic training," Shiro muttered. "But I agree with the princess, I didn't think they'd be this effective. Or that Lance would even use some of them."

 Pidge suddered. "Actually, Lance exempted that training. I guess now we know why." 

"You can't exempt the training course Pidge," Shiro said, slowly like she needed it spelled out for her. He'd been doing it a lot lately and Pidge felt her temper rising. She'd begun to fantasize about punching Shiro in the nuts the next time he treated her like an infant. After all, she was the right height for it. "The garrison requires it so that you build up fighting experience before they start teaching you to attack instead of defend."

"He did actually," Hunk said, glaring at Shiro on Pidge's behalf. "Exempt, I mean. He had a letter with him on our first day and after showing it to the teacher they made him take a Skills Assessment exam and he was exempted."

"Then why is he so bad at hand to hand?" Keith asked, genuinely curious.

"I don't know exactly why, but I think it has something to do with the fact that self defense is all about getting away from your attacker," Hunk theorized, finally straightening from his slumped, miserable pose beside Pidge's keyboard. "The goal is to hurt them just enough so that you can run and I've seen Lance do that before. Hand to hand is different, that's actively looking to increase physical contact, which we, and Lance, were trained to avoid." Pidge nodded along. 

"Yeah, we know Lance is flexible and can come up with plans on the fly," she said, taking up the thread of explanation for Hunk. "He should be good at hand to hand stuff. But I think his brain is constantly telling him to rely on his previous training, which is telling him to run. It's hard to reschool your brain into doing something it's conditioned to avoid."

"And since he's probably been doing this for a few years," Hunk picked it up again. "He's got to fight against a hyper enforced way of thinking. It'd be like telling him he wasn't allowed to use his skin stuff anymore, or that Keith can't carry his knife, mentally and physically you'd rebel against something that challenged an ingrained routine you'd adhered to for years." Keith seemed to process this and pidge smirked when she saw him reach out and brush the holster tucked into the back of his pants. 

"While I'm sure you're correct this seems a tad excessive to me," Coran mumbled, eyes never leaving the screen. Pidge had long hypothesized that Lance was Coran's favorite, the data she was getting from this situation seemed to be proving her theory right. "I've never seen our lad so cold." 

It was true, Lance had never shown them that he could be anything other than easy-going. Looking at him now, you'd think he'd never even cracked  joke in his life. 

They all gasped when the purple alien grabbed Lance by the shoulders with two hands and was pummeling him with the third. The fourth arm hung limp, more than half of the fingers of that hand broken previously by Lance. Lance did his best to block the blows but they could tell he was starting to get tired. 

"C'mon, get out of there, buddy," Hunk whimpered on Pidge's right side. Immediately after that, the alien's fist connected with Lance's jaw and his head snapped back sharply. Lance went limp and the alien's fist slowed. 

The Paladins held their breath praying that Lance was ok. One minute, two... The Galran's were ready to declare a winner and the alien was loosening his grip on Lance's body. Pidge heard herself whisper 'no', but couldn't look away. 

Then, faster than they'd ever seen him move, Lance whipped back around, jerking out of his opponent's hold. Without pause, he sunk his thumbs into one of the alien's sets of eyes. The alien shrieked trying to shake him off, but Lance locked his legs around the being's waist and held on while the other thrashed blindly. and tried to shred the back of the shabby prisoner suit Lance was wearing. 

"Oh, yep, that was a tooth," Hunk gagged and tuned away when they watched Lance turn his head and spit something small and covered in blood onto the arena floor. 

"At least it was just one," Keith tried comforting him, coaxing Hunk to look back at the screen, just in time to see fluid start pouring from the aliens eye sockets.

"Oh gross, eye juice!" Hunk hollered and dove for a trash bin. Pidge slapped a hand over her mouth as bile rose in her throat, valiantly, she kept her lunch inside her stomach. They didn't get a break though as Lance began on the second set of eyes, grinning furiously, and the alien resorted to digging their claws into his back and whimpering.

"This is quite disturbing," Allura put in staring at the screen in horror.

"It's survival, Princess," Shiro whispered clenching the back of Pidge's chair so tightly in his galran hand that the metal bent. "It's just survival." 

Watching her friend and adopted family puncture the second set of eyes before the large, purple being fell to the ground curling up in a sobbing ball, gave Pidge a different opinion. As Lance stood above the prisoner he'd defeated, grinning with blood laced teeth, she thought it almost looked like he'd enjoyed the fight.

And you don't enjoy just 'surviving'.

 


	9. Guns and Ships

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor see's Lance's fight and begins to plot. Anita see's it too and begins to worry. Lance is in pain and disgusted with himself.

**Lotor POV:**

Lotor wouldn't call himself sentimental, nor someone prone to emotional attachment, however, he found himself drawn back to the blue paladin. 

"Show little Blue's gladiator fight."

"Sire," Acxa sighed. "I don't see why that's necessary, he is no longer our problem." Lotor pursed his lips briefly, a slightly pouty look he reserved for his generals only. 

"We're here for another varga until Zethrid makes some poor soldier cry in the ring," he reasoned. "I'm interested in seeing how little Blue fared last quintant. Humor me?" Acxa lifted a brow at him but moved to pull up the stored fight logs. They were in the waiting room reserved for royalty and the highest level generals. It was empty of all except them now, which was how Lotor preferred it. 

"You know he's probably dead," Exor cautioned while waggling a piece of meat for Kova, who she'd coaxed down from Narti's shoulder. "It's a shame too. It's hard to find cute humans around here."

"We all feel your loss, Ezor," Lotor drawled. "None-the-less I'd like to see how it happened." He watched the screen as the file came up, flickering with static here and there before settling on a view of the arena from the emperor's seat; the seat he should have been in. Haggar had expressly forbidden him from watching this fight, saying his attention was needed elsewhere. So elsewhere was where he'd gone, putting the blue paladin far out of his mind for a full night cycle. Now that he was back in the arena he felt the need to witness his temporary hostage's demise. 

The video showed Lance walking into the arena and waiting in front of his door, not moving, not reacting to the crowd at all, just standing there waiting. When his opponent came out there was a slight movement, a flinch perhaps, almost invisible. Lotor couldn't blame the boy, the Caderma a's Lorn race was hardly an attractive one. The large male was an impressive example of his species; imposing, large, curved fangs, bulging arms, but no less ugly. 

The fight started quickly. The Caderma charged at Lance headfirst, obviously expecting an easy meal. The small human was quick though and dodged easily, a small frown visible on his face. It continued like this for some time. The Caderma charging, Lance retreating or attempting too. By the time the Paladin made his move there were nicks and claw marks on his torso. 

The Caderma dove towards one of the obstacle boulders that had been set up before the fight. Lance had fled there moments before limping slightly and out of breath. Lotor was sure this was where the fight would end, but as soon as the Cadmera male placed a hand on the boulder Lance was there with a heavy rock. Without mercy the Paladin slammed the rock into the hand over and over while his opponent cried out in pain before bitting into the boy's shoulder firmly. Lance screamed but recovered quickly, grabbing the bruised, pulpy fingers of the hand he'd been beating and bending them back one by one, breaking them at the base until the Caderma male released him.

After that the fight continued much the same as it had in the beginning, but this time Lance was the attacker. Caderma's were a hardy race, but they weren't designed for a battle mindset. Despite their size, they preferred the life of farming and cultivation of land. The males could be aggressive if needed, but their anger cooled quickly, being in pain sped that along. Right now, the Caderma fighting Lance would be torn between anger and the desire to stay still and think through the situation. 

Lance didn't give him that opportunity. A well placed kick or punch here and there, saw the larger male as bruised and beaten as Lance was, however, his rage was returning, enough so, that he could push past the pain and begin the attack again. 

Lotor, Acxa and Ezor grimaced as the Cadmera managed to grab Lance by the shoulders then preceded to pummel him. The boy was obviously tired and let more blows slip through than not, going limp when a heavy fist crashed into his jaw. They waited while the Cadmera slowed his punches, checking to see if Lance was dead. Imagine their surprise when the boy popped back up and wrapped himself around the Cadmera like a vine before preceding to puncture his eyes. 

In moments, the Cadmera was mostly blinded and Lance was declared the winner. 

"Yes, that's my boy!" Ezor hollered, pounding the air with both fists. 

"He's mumbling something to himself," Lotor noted. "Acxa, see if you can increase the sound or access the arena level cameras." Acxa did as she was told and soon enough they could hear Lance's voice filtering through the sound system. 

"Oh, be quiet," he muttered. "He's still got two eyes left." Lotor was struck by the abrupt coldness in the boy's tone. This was a side of the Paladin he hadn't seen before in all the videos he'd watched and reports he'd read. A granule of an idea was forming in his mind and he smiled to himself. 

"Ezor," he said.

"Yes, sir," she chirped at him, still delighted with the fight's results. 

"How would you like to take a trip to meet the new arena fighters?" He asked, remaining casual so none of the bugs Haggar might have planted in the lounge area would pick up any traces of the plan he was developing. 

"Can I? Can I? CanI?" Ezor bounced up and down before bolting to the door and looking back at him impatiently. 

"I'll be back in a moment," Lotor whispered to Acxa. "Keep and eye on things."

"Of course, Sir. Vrepit Sa!" 

* * *

 

**Lance's POV:**

Lance was stuck in the dingiest cell known to man or alien kind. Everything hurt; ribs, shoulders, legs, even his ass. Everything was one big ball of ache. Out of sheer boredom, he'd begun to sing. Everything from jingles to show tunes, some in Spanish, some in english. The singing didn't stop the pain, but it distracted him from the phantom feeling of blood and eye fluid on his hands. He never wanted to do that again. 

Dark Lance chuckled at him.  _Grow up,_ it ordered.  _This is war. You'll do it again and again if you want to live. Be happy I didn't kill him._

Lance sang louder to drown him out. 

He'd just gotten to the second verse of 'Guns and Ships' from Hamilton (Thank god there wasn't a french person around to complain about his horrible accent) when a knock sounded against the bars. 

This cell wasn't like the one on Lotor's ship, the bars were plain old metal, he'd kicked them enough times to know. 

"What do you want," he asked without looking up.

"Oh, just a friendly chat will do," a familiar voice lilted back. Lance's head snapped up, which was probably a bad idea, considering it also hurt like a bitch.

"What?" Lance spat out.

"I also thought I'd introduce you to your number one fan," Lotor continued, stepping aside to reveal a tall pink woman.

"That's me," she bubbled. "Hi, Cutie!"

 "My fan- No, I don't care. What do you want, Lotor?" He did his best to glare at the Galran prince. 

"I'd like to have a quick discussion, one that could be beneficial to the both of us."

 _Let him in._ His darker thoughts whispered.  _He's probably more helpful than you are._ Lance winced at the voice of his darker self, though he did agree with it. 

"I don't see how we can help each other at all," he said, keeping his tone venomous. 

"I think I can make you understand." Lotor said, using an access card to raise the bars. "After all, we have time." 

* * *

**Anita POV:**

Anita didn't want to believe what she was watching on the screen. She hadn't meant to walk in on Coran rewatching the video of her brother's fight. 

"I'm sorry, miss," Coran mumbled apologetically. "We didn't mean for you to see this? Figured you'd been through enough." Anita didn't answer and continued to watch the screen, pulling her brother's jacket more closely around her.

"I can't believe it," she whispered. Her brother had never been cruel, never cold towards anyone that she could remember unless they deserved it. This Lance was one she was seeing for the first time. What could have happened to her brother that he didn't even flinch when breaking someone's bones. 

It was space, she decided. Space had taken her brother away and made him harder and colder. He'd be alright once she got him back home. He'd be back to the way she remembered him. Kind, giving, annoying at times but fun. She'd make him better, their family would. 

"Are you all right,miss?" She heard Coran ask from the control panel. 

"Yeah, I'm fine." 

"Good, because we'll be arriving at the Galran HQ in about ten Vargas. You'd best get ready." He tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Anita shrugged it off and fled the room.

Back in Lance's room, her's for the time being, she felt like crying. The Lance she'd seen had scared her. It was almost the same as the night years ago, but she hadn't seen what her brothers had done to Nigel. Now she knew what Lance was capable of, and it frightened her.

She loved her brother, but seeing him again after that frightened her almost as much as never seeing him again. 

Ten hours, after that Lance would be back with them, then they could go home. Just ten hours. 


	10. Glitter and Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anita and the gang head in to rescue Lance, who's about to enter his second gladiator fight.  
> Meanwhile, Lance is going over the deal Lotor has offered him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who read this and left kudos or a comment, y'all are the bomb! I just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be trying to update at least once a week, usually on Saturday.  
> As usual I don't own any of the Voltron characters. Thanks a bunch and hit me up with any questions or suggestions on how to make this better. Ciao!

**Lance's POV**

"Please explain to me why the hell you think I'd do that for you," Lance stuttered while Lotor smiled down at him benignly. 

"Because you value your life," the prince returned cooly. "And the lives of your friends and allies."

"I can't spy on Voltron for you!" 

"I assure you that our partnership will be highly lucrative for both sides," the Galran assured him. "You can even tell your team about our agreement."

Lotor had to be joking. 

 

The prince's visit had started off with him staring down at Lance while Ezor crouched in front of the Paladin and looked him over with wide, smiling eyes, cooing at him like he was a pet.

"I want to offer you a deal, Paladin," Lotor began.

"No thank you, come again later, buh-bye!" Lance snarked back, shifting until he was sitting up straight, despite the pain. He might not have the ability to stand firmly right now, but his Abuelita's posture lessons reminded him that slouching only made you look defeated, and that was one thing Lance refused to be in front of Lotor.

Ezor chuckled. "He's feisty!" She grinned at the young human. "I like him, can we keep him on our ship? Please!" She turned large yellow and blue eyes onto Lotor, pleading with him. 

"Not now, Ezor," Lotor chided, but Lance could tell that it was more of a gentle tease than and  actual admonishment. Nonetheless, he stayed quiet, watching the pair from his spot on the ground. 

"The deal I speak of," Lotor continued, addressing Lance once again. "Would result in your return to Voltron." Lance tensed, wary of a trap.

"And how would you make that happen," he asked, calmly but with a hint of disbelief. The prince sighed and flipped a lock of hair over his shoulder. 

"As you know, I haven't ever been number one in the eyes of the Galra empire, my ascension to the thrown has not changed that fact."

Lance nodded along condescendingly, "I'm sure that is just horrible for you."

"Indeed it is," Lotor ignored the sarcasm and continued on. "Any way, I find that, despite my status as ruler, there are certain side projects and methods that I am forced to abandon due to my father's previous reign."

"'Side projects?" Lance asked, brows furrowed. Lotor grinned, knowing he'd gotten the Paladin's attention.

"Nothing for you to be concerned about, but they are near and dear to my heart. I've found that my time for my... Other activities is limited due to the constant battles with Voltron."

"You guys are kinda annoying," Ezor piped up from her spot by the door, scanning for guards. It was a position she'd taken up automatically, without needing a command from Lotor. "I mean, you are cute and all, but the rest of the paladins get on my nerves." She rubbed the tips of her clawed fingers against the metal wall, releasing a quiet screeching sound that made Lance's head pound even more. 

For all that she said she was his fan, Lance could never forget that this woman was lethal to the extreme. 

"So what do you want from me?" He asked them, scowling.

"If you can give me forewarning of Voltron's location, tell me where you intend to be before you get there, I'll make myself scarce. In return, I'll let you know where I intend to be and when so that Voltron can flee or you can redirect your friends to a new location." Lotor grinned, like everything he'd just said was perfectly reasonable and not bat-shit crazy.

Lance sputtered, "You're insane, _absolutamente_   _loco!"_

 

It took ten minutes of Lance calling Lotor nine kinds of idiot for the prince to put a hand over his mouth to shut him up. Lance resisted the urge to lick the hand the way he would have with his siblings.

"While it seems hard to believe," Lotor said tartly. "I do have my reasons for not wanting to tangle with your group."

"Please," Lance wheezed when his face was released. "Explain, I'd love to hear this." 

Lotor sighed. "Believe what you will, but I do not relish being in the center of my father's empire. The Galran way of Victory or Death has never been my mentality." Lance snorted, but Lotor ignored him. "I'd rather have planets join the Empire of their own free will, it limits future expenditures if we aren't constantly putting out rebellions." 

"Okay, that still doesn't explain much," Lance quipped, taking in this new information.

"The Galra empire is fracturing from within because of the Galra's conquering mentality," Lotor stated plainly. "We can lose a few planets here and there and still thrive, but pride won't allow it and we lose resources trying to keep those planets down."

"Makes sense," Lance muttered, reluctantly agreeing.

"I don't care if Voltron rescues an entire system from my father's command," Lotor confessed. "But if a planet should choose to align with me specifically, I will rule them justly and well. The sector of the galaxy that I was shuttled off to years ago was home to a host of warring planets. My generals and I brokered peace between them and established a new order that established me as the head of the system while still granting the planetary leaders the ability to self-govern so long as they continued to support the Galra empire through their loyalty to me."

Lance raised an eyebrow after the long winded explanation."You expect me to believe that war wasn't involved in that?"

"There is war involved in any change of government," Lotor admitted. "But we kept the bloodshed to a minimum and ended up creating a peace treaty that benefited all parties and established a trade agreement that supports planets from various sectors."

"Well that was... smart," Lance admitted. It sounded like a good layout even if those planets had technically been conquered, but Lance still couldn't accept the fact that Lotor may not be as bad as he seemed. The man had tried to kill Allura and had kidnapped his sister for Christ's sake! Lotor leaned towards Lance, eyes intent on the wavering Paladin.

"I _will_ control an Empire some day, Lance," he said in a low tone. "But it will be  _my_ empire, not my father's, not just the Galra's. If I have to build it from the ground up then so be it."

Out of the corner of his eye, Lance saw Ezor regard her leader with intense pride.

"Lance, I'm asking you to just keep Voltron off my back while I work on this." Lance looked into eyes that were surprisingly honest as Lotor leaned down towards him. "We can meet every once in a while and do battle, just put on a show so that the Galra don't get suspicious of my loyalties, and then we each go our own ways. While your team weakens my father's empire, I'll be building my own army that can assist you later and finally snuff out the travesty that is Zarkon's misguided reach." He said it with such passion Lance wanted to believe him, but Lotor was known for his ability to wow a crowd. The man could just be playing him.

"I-I can't," Lance wavered. Even the Shadow voice inside him was silent. "You hurt Anita!" Lotor sighed.  

"I did," he said, making no excuses. "She was the bait I intended to use to destroy Voltron and return to building up my own empire. But I believe I've found a better way. I suppose I must offer some physical form of assurance before you'll believe me."He straightened and pulled something from a pocket hidden in the lining of the cloth that wrapped around his legs. Something familiar.

"I believe you have some talent with this?" Lotor smirked as he held out a pistol. "You'll be needing it for your next fight. When was that again, Ezor?" He turned to the pink woman.

"He's got three Vargas before they come to drag him back to the arena," Ezor chirped, having checked the fight schedule as soon as she'd learned that Lance was still alive.

"There you are," Lotor said, tossing the gun so that it landed on the ground beside Lance. The Paladin stared at it, dumbfounded. "I'll give you time to think it over, Lance. Just know that I won't be handing you back over to Voltron unless I get a yes from  _you_." Lotor turned to leave.

"Why me," Lance whispered, so quietly he wasn't sure Lotor had even heard him until the prince turned around and regarded him with an almost kind expression.

"Because, despite what I told you in our interrogation, you are highly influential to Voltron. The group practically revolves around you. I've also seen you in battle; you think quickly and never hesitate to use yourself as bait or arrange for your team to escape." Lotor shrugged. "You understand sacrifice, on some level at least. To be honest, I thought you too soft until I saw the recording of your gladiator match." Lance tensed again. 

"What do you mean?"

"'He's still got two eyes left'?" Lotor quoted raising one perfectly curved brow. "I hadn't thought you one to demolish others even if it was for your own survival. It turns out you do have some ambition hidden in that bruised body of yours. I hadn't seen it with the way you hide behind your teammates; hanging back and never receiving the amount of recognition you deserve." Lotor looked at the ground for a moment jaw tensing as he let the silence linger. "It appears we're more alike than I thought," he eventually whispered, eyes raising to meet Lance's once again.

With that, Lotor waved goodbye and left the cell, Ezor skipping behind him after quickly blowing a kiss in Lance's direction before the bars lowered again.

Lance sat there staring at the gun Lotor had offered, utterly confused. 

 _Okay,_ his inner voice piped up.  _You know that was a load of horse shit, right? He's just trying to butter you up to get you on his team, he didn't mean any of it. You and I both know that the team could function just fine without you. They probably aren't coming to get you even now._

Lance winced, but accepted the Shadow self's logic without complaint. 

That deal _had_ sounded too good to be true. Even if he had accepted it, there was no way Lance would have been able to pull off something that complicated. And Lotor was definitely wrong on one point. He and Lance were nothing alike. Sure he could see the similarities. They both were kept off to the side, never good enough for the people they sought out. For Lotor it was his father and the other Galrans; for Lance, it had been the team and his parents. He'd always been in the middle; never the oldest who accomplished everything first, not the youngest that everyone sheltered. Lance had never had a quality that made him especially desirable to anyone, his time at the Garrison had just enforced that kind of thinking. 

But, despite the similarities, he and Lotor were as different as night and day for one specific reason. Despite his faults and the fact that Lotor had been committing treason and was planning to undo his own father's work, Lance had to admire a few things about him. Lotor hadn't equivocated on who he was or what he wanted his role to be. He had a goal and was going for it, and he would toss aside anyone who told him he couldn't or tried to hold him back. 

Lance had never had that courage. He'd always been terrified of losing people because of what he wanted. First it was disappointing his parents by being too demanding of their attention despite the five other kids and numerous grandkids and their respective extracurriculars. Then it was Shiro and Allura, who he couldn't complain to about his homesickness because they had been through so much worse. Not to mention Iverson who'd always compared him to Keith.

Lance had never been enough as himself for anyone. So he'd shifted. He'd become what everyone else needed. He was an impressed younger brother one minute and a doting uncle the next. For Pidge he was a pair of arms ready to comfort, a jokester to cheer her up. For Hunk he was a waiting ear, someone who'd never turn him away no matter what he was struggling with. For Coran he was a replacement son and helper. For Shiro and Allura he was a soldier and a light hearted flirt that kept things from getting too serious. For Keith... Lance wasn't sure exactly what he was for Keith anymore, 'Rival' didn't seem to fit nowadays with the way their relationship was changing, but 'friend' seemed a bit too presumptuous. The fact that he had feelings for Keith didn't help any. 

 _Yeah yeah, you're pitiful we get it._ His Shadow self mocked.  _Now straighten up, I've got a fight in three hours. I don't need your pity party messing me up._

Of course, he thought before leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes. He clutched his new weapon and hummed. The world wasn't going to stop for him and the universe didn't care about his mental instability and anxiety. He would still have to fight. He'd still have to watch himself do things that made his stomach turn in order to survive. It didn't matter if he felt incomplete and adrift in his own skin, he still needed to live, if only to make sure Anita got back home. If only to make sure his friends were alright. 

He slept, and the world seemed to stop, just for a little bit, until the hands would come to take him back to the arena and it would start spinning again.

* * *

 

**Anita POV:**

 

The red lion was vibrating. If she were a house cat, I'd say she was purring, but in a giant machine the same size as the Titanic the continuous rumble felt like a small earthquake. 

"Easy there  _chica,"_ I muttered, patting the console in front of me. "We're gonna get him back today." Red sent me a wave of annoyance and personal offense which I roughly translated to mean; ' _Of course we are! Who do you think I am?'_ Feeling the sentient robot's emotions was still a new experience for me and more often than not, I found myself wincing at the sheer amount of feelings that the red lion contained. Even after she quieted my head was pounding with the remnants of her almost-voice.

How did Lance do it? Sitting in the lion I felt too hot, too large, too vulnerable. It was terrifying and I had to keep pushing down the lump in my throat that threatened to overwhelm me with the nerves and worry.

"The cloaking is up, we're ready to move when you are, Anita." Pidge's voice filled the pilot's area bringing me back to my senses.

"I'm ready," I said, gripping my- no, Lance's lion's controls. I focused on the station floating in front of me, only about three kilometers away from me.

That was Galra HQ. Lance was there. We were going to get him.

The fire that had died down after watching the fight video roared back to life in my stomach. Who did these assholes think they were, huh? Where do they get off kidnapping me and then stealing my big brother? What right did they have to make Lance fight for their entertainment? How dare they hurt my favorite sibling?

Red growled, barely restraining herself from roaring, and for once our emotions were in sync. A loud, guttural war cry left me while I slammed the controls forward with all my might, shooting Red out from behind the asteroid where we'd been hiding, the rest of the Voltron lions following behind me. The Galra couldn't see us coming thanks to Pidge, but they would feel the impact and I would relish taking out this anger on them.

"Lesson one, you little shits," I whispered right before we drew even with the much larger ship. "Don't fuck with a Ramirez-McClain!" Red tore a hole into the side of the ship while Pidge began hacking the hangar doors. Hunk and Keith attacked as well, while Allura focused on freezing the ion canons. 

"Anita, get down here, I'm in!" Pidge's yelling made me focus on the hangars. The green lion was safely tucked inside waiting for Red to join it. 

"Coming," I growled, giving the ship's side one last gouge. Red settled into the hangar quickly and I was out of the lion less than ten seconds later.

"You ready to do this?" Pidge asked, holding up the holographic map of the ship. "From what I can tell, he's in the arena right now. Apparently there was another fight scheduled."

"Let's go," I muttered, manifesting my bayard. The glove covered my right forearm like a second skin, melding with the armor I'd borrowed from Lance's closet. The thin, sharp blade that ran up the side gleamed back at me while the knuckles of the gauntlet buzzed comfortingly. 

Pidge and I set off down the hallway together. 

 


	11. Six Shooter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is in the arena for the second time, but he won't be fighting alone, and his partner is someone he never thought he'd see.  
> Pidge and Anita only have a short time to get to Lance before all hell breaks loose.  
> Meanwhile, Lotor has begun to set things in motion.
> 
> (Also, there was an edit to the last chapter, I forgot that Anita has Lance's bayard. Apologies!)

**Lance POV:**

I'm so tired of this. 

_Doesn't matter. Straighten up, the door's opening._

The door to the arena opened slowly, letting in the sound of screaming and cheers. 

"You look thrilled to be back, Blue." I wanted to growl, Lotor's voice was becoming way to familiar. Turning around, I saw him leaning against the entrance to my holding block, smiling smugly. His pink General wasn't with him, he'd come alone. The door I'd been shoved through opened and Lotor strolled in to join me at the entrance to the arena.

"Go away," I whined. He just chuckled, apparently not bothered by my obvious dislike of him. 

"I just wanted to let you know that my offer still stands," he grinned, flashing small, sharp canines. "All you have to do is take it, and you'll be back with your friends in no time."

His grin was predatory, and I didn't need the other Lance's voice in my head to tell me that this man would use me and throw me away if I gave him the chance. I fingered the butt of the gun he'd given me, hidden under my prisoner shirt. 

"Bend over and I'll show you what I think of your deal," I spat. 

Before I could pat myself on the back for that retort Lotor's hand wrapped around my throat.

"Watch yourself, Paladin," he rumbled out. "I'll only take so much disrespect from you. Remember, I can make your life much worse."

"Not if you want me on board with your little plan," I wheezed around the tightening grip. My vision began to dim a bit at the edges.

"I only need you alive, not in one piece." His eyes lit up like he'd just thought of a fun idea. "I believe the druids are interested in experimenting more with your species, after all, they've had so few to work with."

The threat was obvious and I could _feel_ myself getting pale. Even when I tried to open my mouth, the only thing that would come out was a dry, panicked gasp.

"Do not test me," Lotor warned. The hand squeezed tight once more before he dropped me and I fell to the floor. When he'd managed to lift me in the air, I don't know. I hadn't even felt my feet leave the ground. 

He walked back to the barred entrance, heels clicking against the cold grey steel floor and echoing around the matching walls. The gun in my shirt dug into my ribs and I hesitantly drew it out. _I could kill him here_ , I thought. 

 _Go ahead and do it,_ my darker self goaded.  _Show that you're worth something as a Paladin after all._

My hand's were shaking, but they steadied when I took aim at his retreating back. 'I'm going to do it', I told myself. 'I'm going to kill Prince Lotor'. I placed my finger over the trigger and squeezed.

The trigger felt stiff and moved slowly at first, but I still pulled.

I pulled hard, drawing it all the way back, and suddenly...

... nothing. 

"What?!" I choked out, flipping the pistol over and over in my hands, trying to spot the problem. Was it a dud? Had the gun jammed? Did Lotor do this to me on purpose? What-?

"Did you really think I'd give a prisoner, especially a Paladin of Voltron, a loaded weapon?" Lotor was smirking at me from behind the bars, the door now locked sealing me in with the noise from the arena. 

"Then why did you give it to me," I screamed, so loud my voice cracked. 

"Oh, it works, just not on me." Lotor held up something small. "The gun wont load with a charge until I tell it to with this. I'll start it up when you go into the arena. You won't be able to shoot me there either since the Emperor's seat is surrounded by a force field, so I wouldn't try it."

"I hate you," the words were soft, but I didn't have it in me to put any more fire behind them. My body hurt, and I was tired. All I wanted to do was lay down and forget that the universe existed, forget about the war and just curl up and  _sleep_. I wanted to feel safe for the first time in months. I didn't want to fight anymore.

"I know." Lotor's grin dropped, turning his face into a smooth mask of formality and elegance, hiding away all the ambition that lay beneath the surface. "By the way, I pulled a few strings for this match. You won't be fighting alone."

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

"You'll be fighting with a partner, someone I think you'll be happy to see." 

"Who?" My mind immediately went to Anita or one of the other paladins, but how could Lotor have gotten them to the arena without me hearing about it?

"You'll see," he sing-songed, sending me a suspicious wink. "Now go, best not keep the masses waiting." He turned on his heel and left, giving me no other option than to walk into the arena to see what he was talking about. 

 

Bright lights burned my eyes and had me blinking to clear them. The dirt floor of the arena was cleared of all the obstacles that had been there for my first fight. There was nowhere to hide, just an large expanse of clear space. My stomach plummeted, this was going to be a lot more difficult than my last fight. I clutched the gun tighter. 

No matter where I looked, I couldn't see this partner Lotor had told me about. 

 _He was probably lying anyway,_ Dark Lance murmured.  _Either way, I don't need the help, so just sit back and let me do the work._

I nodded to myself and let the Shadow Self take control. I gave up the reins happily, letting him do what he wanted. The first thing he wanted to do was flip off Lotor, who was standing in the Emperor's box. If I wasn't to soul-weary, I would have laughed, but at this point I didn't care what happened to me, I just wanted it to be over. 

"Soldiers and commanders of the Galra Empire," Lotor said, quieting the arena. "You came today to see a rebel, the red paladin of Voltron, fight his way to glory or death. Well I've seen fit to give you something better." The crowd roared its approval. "Today you will have the pleasure of seeing not just a member of Voltron fight to the death, but a captured Rebel Officer as well. One who is of the same species as the Paladins."

The roar got louder and my stomach sank lower. There was another human here? One who fought with the rebels?

"Let's see how well these two humans can stand against their opponents. Bring out the Rebel Officer." A sadistic gleam shown from Lotor's eyes as a different entrance opened and a slim figure was shoved forward, their ratty nest of hair somewhere between blond and brown. They turned to face me and I had to catch my breath. 

Honey gold eyes. That was the first thing I noticed. The second was a two inch long scar on their left cheek. They looked just like pidge, but taller and more muscular, with a stronger jawline. A guy. Suddenly I knew what Lotor had meant when he said I'd be happy to see this person.

"Matt?" I asked. He stared at me, obviously not expecting to see another human here. You'd think he be happy to see me, but instead all he did was glare.

"How do you know me?" 

Well, shit.

* * *

 

**Pidge POV:**

 

Pidge and Anita raced through the prisoners' quarters, though they were less 'quarters' and more 'line of soul crushing and depression inducing cells'. 

"Lance!" Pidge could hear Anita screaming from a few rows over. If she hadn't shut off the security drones earlier Pidge might have snapped at her about giving away their position. 

"I can be your 'Lance', Sweetheart, just come a little closer." Pidge snapped her head around, gut roiling at the oily sounding voice.  _Ugh,_ she thought.  _I thought that sort of thing was only said in bad gangster movies._

But no, apparently sexist prison tropes were a universal thing, because a large, skeevy looking alien with heavy jowls and completely purple bulbous eyes was leering at Anita, who stared back with a mixture of astonishment and revulsion. 

"Ignore him, Anita," Pidge growled, giving the alien the dirtiest look she could muster. "Focus on finding Lance, we don't have a lot of time." 

"Back off, little boy," the alien hissed at Pidge. "I'm talking to my future wife here!" 

"Eww," Anita moaned before tapping the electrified knuckles of her bayard to the metal bars. Pidge watched in satisfaction while the large male shrieked as the current traveled into his body from where his hands were touching the bars. In moments he was passed out. 

Anita sent Pidge a slightly guilty look, like she was asking it she was going to be in trouble for that. Pidge considered it for a moment.

While the Paladin's of Voltron did take out different aliens everyday, they did _try_ to discriminate between the ones that were actually dangerous, and the ones that were just assholes. Still, looking at the lightly smoking alien passed out on the cell floor (he was still breathing, she could tell) she couldn't quite fault Anita for her decision. 

"I won't tell Allura if you don't," she finally said with a shrug. Anita heaved a sigh and looked at her gratefully.

"Deal." 

 

They searched all through the prison section for another twenty minutes, the two girls getting more and more frustrated. 

Finally Anita just began shouting his name angrily while Pidge tried to break into the control room at the end of the long hallway of cells. 

"Lancelot Antonio Julio Jonathan Ramirez-McClain, you had better answer me right now!" Pidge flinched as the mouthful of a name rolled off of Anita's tongue with practiced efficiency. One thing stuck out to her with jarring clarity though. She paused in her attempt to hack the hand scanner on the doorway. 

"Lance's full name is 'Lancelot'?" She asked, not believing her ears. "Seriously?" 

"Our grandpa on dad's side is English and teaches Arthurian mythology at a University," Anita replied distractedly. "He insisted." 

"I am soooo gonna screw with him about that when we find him," Pidge cackled, already imagining Lance's face. She prodded at the side of the control panel, hoping to find an override switch or something cause this scanner was being an absolute dick. A raised border bumped into her fingers and she immediately dug her bayard into it. 

"We'd better find him," Anita growled. "Or I'm gonna find Lotor and kick his ass myself."

Pidge sent her a reassuring nod and finally managed to pop the lid off of the secondary access control panel. 

"We'll find him," Pidge grunted. There was the wire and it just needed to be cut and reconnected... there. The door slid open.

"Well, it's about damn time," she grouched, marching in and taking stock of the robot sentries on the floor. Apparently they had shorted out with the rest of them when Pidge had sent out a preliminary pulse to this section of the ship. 

"I'll check the data feeds and see if he's listed. If they moved him in that last few hours it should be logged." Pidge rushed over to the console in the front of the room and pulled up the logs, sending the info through the translator on the data pad attached to her armor.

"So what do I do?" Anita asked, awe stuck at the rate a which Pidge was sifting through the records on the screen. 

"I don't know, stand guard? I'll tell you if I find anything." Anita shrugged and went back to the door.

"If you say-"

"I found something." Pidge pulled up a file that had Lance's name and title written on it. "It looks like they took him to the arena about a half an hour ago." She read off of the screen. "The red Paladin of Voltron is to fight alongside a captured rebel officer at 1800 vargas."

"Is that it," Anita asked, adrenalin running through her body. "Where's the arena?"

"I'm trying to find that out, but it'll take a few ticks before my system is able to work out a route to get us there quickly. In the meantime, there's live footage being fed into the file right now." Curious, Pidge pulled up the feed and plastered it on to the large screen attached to the guard station.

Anita gasped. "That's Lance," she yelled excitedly when her brother's face appeared. "He's okay."

"Relatively," Pidge muttered before paying attention to Lance's partner. "That guy must be the rebel officer in the file. Wonder what he looks like." She tried to zoom in on the footage and get a good shot of the guy's face but he kept moving and wouldn't face the camera.

"He looks human," Anita noticed.

Suddenly, Pidge couldn't breathe. Human. This person could be a human, one of the only ones in space besides them. What were the odds that-? No, she couldn't get her hopes up. Her brother being right here in front of their noses was a bazillion to one chance.

She tried to keep a cool head as she followed the rebel's movements on the screen, but her heart was growing heavier with anticipation and her chest felt tight with all the unanswered "what ifs".

"Come on," she muttered desperately. "Turn around you son of a-" There. Pidge froze the screen, more on reflex than conscious decision.

"Do you know him," Anita asked after Pidge stared at the screen in silence with a wobbling bottom lip for a full minute, not even looking away when her pad 'ting'-ed its completion of their route to the arena.  

"That's my brother," she whispered. "Matt." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know what, I'm just gonna throw Matt in here and proceed to hurt him right off the bat. Come on, who doesn't love our little fannon/cannon big bro Matt?
> 
> Leave a comment or a question if you want, and, as always, thanks for reading!


	12. Work This Body

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, when you have two big brothers back to back in a gladiator ring fighting for their lives, surrounded by enemy soldiers and severely disadvantaged, how do you get them out?   
> The answer is more simple than you think.

**Anita POV:**

"That's my brother!" Pidge gasped. "Why is he here? He's not supposed to be here! Last I checked he was with some rebels, Matt can't fight!" 

"Honey," Anita tried to soothe the smaller girl. "Sweetie, you need to calm down. Alright? Deep breath in and out, can you do that?" Pidge complied, leaning into the arm Anita wrapped around her shoulder. She focused on taking deep breaths while staring at the screen. Anita wasn't sure what to do now. She'd kinda pictured Pidge as level headed to the point where she didn't really feel emotion. The tiny girl hadn't blown up at her once and always had a smart ass comment to spit out whenever someone said anything she didn't agree with.

"You've been on more of these hero things than I have, what do we do now?" She hoped it would get Pidge talking. Maybe help her calm down.

"I- I don't know," Pidge mumbled, adjusting her glasses with shaking fingers. "We can get them out of there but we need more time to come up with a distraction." She began typing on the keyboard, Anita didn't have the faintest clue for what though. 

"Okay, how big of a distraction?" Anita kept on eye on the fight and one on Pidge. Whatever their brother's were facing looked like a cross between a kangaroo, a crocodile and, possibly, an armadillo. There were three of them, each eight feet tall and she'd call them almost-cute if they weren't trying to kill Lance.

"Big," Pidge said, voice firming as she sank into her work. Apparently she felt better when she was doing something. "It would have to be something that would empty the stadium and incapacitate the soldiers enough for us to slip in and out."

"Like a bomb?" Anita asked, staring over the tiny gremlin's shoulder to keep watching the fight.

Pidge shook her head. "Nah, no time, also it wouldn't have a wide enough range, too localized." 

Anita snorted. "Clearly, you've never seen a shrapnel bomb explode." 

"And you have?" Pidge joked, probably not expecting her to respond.

"Had to do a project on guerrilla warfare, grandma was a teen revolutionary during the 2035 revolution, she showed me how to make a mini one."

Pidge paused in her typing and stared up at the Cuban. "Does insanity just run in your family? You and Lance don't make me want to visit your house. 

Anita gave her a shit-eating grin. "It actually skips a generation." 

"McClains," Pidge grumbled, looking back at the keyboard. 

"So if a bomb won't work, what else we got?" Anita gnawed on her lip as one Crangadillo threw Lance into Pidge's brother Matt.

"I don't know!" Pidge yanked off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. Why was she wearing those things to a fight? "There's no time to hack them like I want and I can't find any major power switches that I can shut off from here! The only thing this office is good for is opening and closing cells!" She slumped in the chair. 

Anita felt something tingle in her stomach at what Pidge said. 

"Hey," she began, a grin tugging at her lips. "Everyone in here is kinda pissed at the Galra, right? I mean, someone takes you prisoner and makes you fight for entertainment, you're gonna be pissed." 

"I guess so," Pidge frowned. 

"And, hypothetically, if you asked them, they'd wanna take a piece out of the people that put them in here right?"

"Yes~" Pidge leaned forward evil smile falling into place. 

The two girls stared at the release button on the panel board, twin grins lighting up both their faces. 

"You wanna start a riot?" Anita purred.

"Oh God, yes." PIdge reached for the button.

* * *

 

Anita pulled a stool in front of the group of cons that shuffled around in a clump now that they'd been let out. They'd explained the plan to Shiro and decided to hang up when he kept yelling at them to not do it. Pidge had her grappling hook out ready to zap anyone that might try to hurt them. There were over two hundred of these people, geez! It was a risky move but Anita figured it had a good chance of succeeding. 

"Alrighty, my dudes," She began, clapping her hands together. "Today is your lucky day! The Paladins of Voltron are enlisting your help in breaking into the arena and crippling the generals and soldiers that have been betting on your deaths since you arrived." A rumble echoed through the room. 

"Voltron?" someone whispered. 

"Right now," Anita spoke loudly, tossing her voice around the room so everyone would hear it. "The red Paladin of Voltron and a Rebel officer are fighting in the arena, if you help us, we can destroy this base and get you all out of here." 

"The Red Paladin? Didn't he used to be the blue one?"

"I love that little guy!"

"He flirted with my ma when he came to my planet before I got caught, I ain't ever seen the old lady blush that much!" 

"How'd he get caught?"

"Hold up, she's wearing his armor!" All heads turned and locked on Anita.

"Are you a paladin, child?" An older alien with pale blue skin, their face lined with wrinkles, moved forward, muscles bunching and bulging in their arms where they'd torn off the sleeves. They looked vaguely feminine. 

"Lance is my big brother, I'm filling in." Anita shrugged. 

"You must come from a family of strong warriors then, for two siblings to pilot one of the famed Lions of Voltron. I will fight with you." The alien joined her, a bunch of other prisoners following suit. Anita shared a thrilled look with Pidge, their plan was working!

"Hold it, what about Jeffery?" A furry alien (was that an Australian accent?) pointed an arm at the cell where the gross Alien that had hit on Anita was snoring away. "I saw you zap him a few minutes ago!"

Pidge tensed looking at Anita desperately. 

"He was cat calling me, so I electrocuted him." She stared at the furred alien unapologetically while Pidge wheezed beside her. 

"Fair enough." Just like that the discussion was over. 

"Alright Ladies and Gents, follow your friendly neighborhood Pidge, the Green Paladin. Time to kick ass and take names!"

"What does that mean?" the blue skinned alien asked as they followed Pidge to the arena. 

* * *

**Matt's POV:**

"What do you mean, my sister's in space?" 

"How many times do I have to says it?" Lance spat, shooting at the Aurree that was charging him. Matt didn't know how he got a gun but it was probably the only reason that they were alive at this point. "Pidge, Katie Holt, is the Paladin of the Green Lion and she's been looking for you!" 

The Aurree made a 'scree' noise as it was hit in the neck. It stumbled but didn't die. 

"How did she even get here?" Matt yelled throwing the rusty blade he'd found in the sand floor at another of the large creatures. It whimpered but kept coming, determined to take a bite out of him. 

"That would be this guy's fault," Lance said and pointed at himself. 

"Why the fuck did you bring my sister to space!" Lance turned around and pointed the gun at Matt who caught his breath.  _Is he seriously going to shoot me?_ he asked himself. 

"Um, Lance? Buddy?" he tried. The gun went off and Matt flinched, but he wasn't the one that made the gagging noise. 

Matt spun around, an Aurree that he hadn't noticed sneaking up behind him was laying on the ground and gasping as blood seeped from it's throat. Matt gulped. If Lance had been a bit off, he'd be dead. Said Paladin cleared his throat and Matt turned his attention back to him.

"How about we hold all questions until we're not fighting for our lives?" Lance asked cooly. Matt gulped again and nodded. He reached down and gripped the fallen Aurree's tail and yanked. The bony protrusion was similar to a horseshoe crab's tail and could be popped off. About five feet long and thin, it would make a perfect staff. As a snap echoed around the field, Matt looked up and happened to catch sight of Lotor, the reason he was in this mess.

Except, Lotor wasn't watching them like he was enjoying a good fight or like he was disappointed that they were winning. Lotor was watching Lance as he fired shot after shot, smiling like a cat that got the cream, like he knew something special about Matt's fight partner.

Matt shook off the unsettling feeling that rested between his shoulder blades as he settled back to back with Lance and began using the staff to beat the shit out of one of the two remaining Auree's. Two and a half years of rebel training had given him the muscle he'd lacked on earth and made him stronger and faster. Lance also seemed to be handy with a gun. So long as they worked together, they would survive. 

A perfect headshot later and after stabbing the tip of the improvised staff into his opponent, Matt sank to the ground and wiped Aurree blood and spit off of his face. 

"Well done," Lotor drawled. "You have defeated your opponents and gained glory." The crowed booed at the words, while Matt and Lance flipped them all the bird almost simultaneously. 

"Unfortunately," Lotor continued. "Glory is not something meant to be shared by more than one person. Therefore, the match is not over."

"What the fuck?" Lance growled. Matt noticed he hadn't bothered to wipe off the blood on his face.  

"You asshole!" Matt screamed. 

"Either fight each other, or be shot down," Lotor smirked. "I have no preference." Two soldiers standing by the fighter entrances leveled their guns at the humans in the ring. The two boys looked at each other, one seeming indifferent and the other one steadily working on developing a frown line between his eyebrows. 

Matt gripped Lance's shoulders. "We aren't going to fight each other!" He seethed. 

"You see a better option," Lance asked, eyes blank and face settled into a cold mask. 

"No, but c'mon! We're better than this! We shouldn't have to dance to his tune," Matt shook Lance trying to get him to see reason. 

A bang echoed through the arena. The galrans shifted in their seats, trying to find where it was coming from. Whoever it was kept pounding against a wall. 

"Find out who that is and dispose of them!" Lotor shouted, just before the wall that rested against the upper level seats burst forth with a screech of metal and snapping iron. 

"Anybody order a prison break?" a tiny, white and green armored figure asked. 

"Pidge," Matt heard Lance breath out the name at the same time he did, voice sounding strained and broken now, weird. 

"Kick ass you guys!" his sister screamed. A roar sounded as hundreds of gladiator prisoners flooded into the crowd of seated galra. 

A huge blue skinned alien flung a figure in white armor with blue accents into the center of the stands. 

"Yippie ki yay, motherfuckers!" the, it had to be a girl, squealed as she landed in the mass of soldiers and proceeded to do something that made them drop like flies. 

Lance let out a strangled croak. "Anita?"  

Matt sighed. What had his sister gotten herself into now?

 


	13. Bang Bang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While hell breaks loose in the arena, Lotor and his generals move to escape. Lance and Matt are simultaneously fighting for their lives and trying to deal with their sisters. Being the older sibling is exhausting on a normal day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a week late! To the people that actually look for updates; I will be doing my best to post on Saturdays, so if I miss a week just wait for the next one. I promise I'll only skip if I'm sick or if I have school stuff. Also, if anyone's interested, I have a twitter; @Leve_relius. Don't use it much but I'm starting to see the benefit of posting.

**Lotor's POV:**

"Sir, we need to go now!" Acxa yelled as she leveled her blasters at the escaped prisoners. One or two fell from stinging shots to the shoulder but many of the fighters ignored them in favor of the Galra officers still seated in their chairs. 

"I'm aware," Lotor muttered rising from his throne and following his generals out of the arena through the private door used by the Emperor. "There are just a few things I need to deal with before we leave." He was far too calm for someone whose headquarters was being attacked, but then again it was his father's empire still. He had no interest in this puny station that was only good for its gladiator fights and communications platform. 

Ezor and Narti materialized beside him, literally in Ezor's case, as he walked down the hallway that lead to his personal ship.

"Ready to go boss," Ezor grinned. Narti nodded while Kova purred on her shoulder.

"Yes, thank you for jamming the feeds Ezor, Narti. We couldn't have anyone knowing Voltron was here so soon." They followed Lotor onto the ship and waited while he retrieved something from his personal quarters. 

"This next task, I will do alone, make sure you have the ship ready to leave. Zethrid, I've already sent a frequency to your station, ensure that it's ready to be traced."

"Of course, Sir." The heavily muscled woman nodded respectfully to her commander but a small pout was obvious on her mouth.

"Do you take issue with the turn of events, Zethrid?" Lotor asked, less out of irritation and more out of confused indulgence.

"I'd like to, just once, give Voltron the smack down they've been asking for," Zethrid growled, hands on her hips. Lotor laughed loudly, shocking his generals.

"Are you drugged?" Ezor asked.

"No, but I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you," Lotor chuckled looking at Zethrid. "From this moment on, Voltron will not be a problem. They'll be working with us rather than against us."

"Oh, did Lancey Lance agree to do us a solid?" Ezor clapped happily.

"Don't give pet names to the enemy," Zethrid scoffed.

Lotor studied the bundle in his arms again.

"Let us say," he began. "That I've found a work around."

* * *

 

All hell had broken loose in the arena. Prisoners were swarming the ranks of seated Galra, the Galra were attempting to fend them off and the walls separating the arena from the stands was basically obsolete with the amount of fighting that had spilled onto the packed dirt. Lance had found a new gun with fresh charges and Matt had wrenched a staff out of the hands of a soldier and was preceding to slam it into the heads of anyone who got in his way. 

"Pidge!" Matt yelled, trying to catch the attention of his sister, who was whooping as she electrocuted people left and right.

"Matt!" Pidge caught sight of her brother and Lance and dragged Anita over to them. The pairs of siblings embraced for a few precious seconds. 

"You look like shit,  _hermano,_ " Anita whispered, raising the shield on her mask to peck him on the cheek. 

"I know," Lance replied, not even bothering with bravado. His sister was here, she was safe. Voltron was here, he could go home. He could leave the Other Lance behind in this bloody place. Relief sagged his shoulders until he was practically dangling around Anita's neck.

Neither of the siblings noticed the grunt soldier barreling towards them until Matt screamed "Watch out" and shoved his body in front of them to hold off the attack. Anita watched in shock as the skinny, white boy was knocked clear across the floor by the Galra soldier wielding a pipe. When the soldier started towards them again, she couldn't react in time. Luckily, Lance and Pidge could. 

Lance leveled the blaster he was holding and shot the piece of metal out of the soldier's hands, while Pidge used her bayard to wrap the Galra in bright green cable and zap him into unconsciousness. 

"Check Matt!" Lance hollered at her while continuing to drop the Galra soldiers that had suddenly taken an interest in them. Anita nodded and fled to where Matt was leaning against the wall in a boneless heap. 

"Matt?" She popped his cheek a few times. "You with me? Come on, Pidge went through a lot to find you, you better be alive!" Finally, his eyes fluttered open with an accompanying groan. He blinked at her owlishly for a moment before breaking into a dopey grin.

"Either I'm in Heaven, or someone should tell God that an angel is loose." He seemed proud of his pick up line even though he still looked dazed. Anita wrinkled her nose prissily.

"I'm gonna let that go since I'm sure you have a concussion," she grunted trying to pull him to his feet. "Come on, we've gotta get out of here."

"I'll follow you to the edge of the universe, Beautiful," Matt replied as she slung his arm around her shoulders.

"Matt, stop flirting with Lance's sister!" Pidge commanded, jogging over to the two, Lance close behind with the blaster slung across his back.

"Yeah, bro, how would you feel if I flirted with Pidge in the middle of a battle," Lance asked.

Matt snorted so hard Anita could feel the vibration through her armor, before groaning and clutching his side.

"Please don't make me laugh, man. I'm pretty sure I've got a broken rib." Pidge gasped, offended, as she supported her brother's other side.

"Excuse you? I'm fine as fuck!"

"Language," both boys muttered reflexively. 

"Screw you," Pidge replied. "The prisoners have got this place pretty much under control. We need to start evacuating."

They made their way out of the arena, Lance shooting any droids that tried to stop them and Pidge using her bayard to incapacitate the soldiers that popped up. The way was mostly clear thanks to the fact that much of the ship was controlled by droids that could be permanently stationed here while the Galrans went in and out of the headquarters with their commanders. The lion's outside of the ship were dealing with the Galra's automatic defenses, while the prisoners and paladins inside had taken care of most of the soldiers that happened to be there to report or whatever else they were there to do. While they edged their way to the lions Pidge kept up a running commentary with Hunk, Shiro, Allura and Keith. Anita had turned her comms of so she only heard half of the conversation.

"Yes, we've got Lance-"

"Have a healing pod ready-"

"Make that two healing pods, Matt's pretty banged up-"

"Yeah, I found my brother-"

They were almost to the Red and Green lion before a loud voice commanded them to stop. Lance spun around and immediately had his blaster leveled at Lotor's face.

"This one isn't connected to your remote," he growled. "So I suggest you let us go."

Lotor chuckled. "I'm not here to fight, Blue. Congratulations on getting free, by the way. I had hoped we'd get more time together, but apparently fate had other plans. Here." He tossed a blue bundle at them. "A parting gift." Anita was left to support Matt by herself as Pidge lunged to catch the bundle. "By the way, Lance, my offer still stands."

"Screw you," Lance hissed immediately.

"You aren't my type," Lotor returned just as swiftly. "We'll meet again." He turned away and left them behind with all the charisma of a Disney villain. The sheer suaveness of the move punching Anita and Lance right in their Showman's hearts. 

"I hate him," Anita muttered. 

"What was he talking about, Lance?" Pidge asked, poking at the mass in her arms. 

"I'll tell you later, for now let's get gone."

 

Lance had to fly Red out of the hanger since the lion decided that she didn't want Anita driving now that her Paladin was back. 

"Hello, Beautiful," he crooned at the giant mechanical Cat. Red rumbled around them as Anita settled behind the pilot's chair. Pidge and Matt would be leaving in Green. 

"Lance?" Keith's voice warbled through the speaker. 

"I'm here, buddy." Lance replied immediately. 

"Thank God."

"Guy's, Lance is back!" Hunk practically screamed. 

"We heard him, Hunk," Shiro scolded. "It's good to have you with us, Lance."

"Thanks man." Lance chuckled.

"We will deal with the evacuation of the prisoners," Allura decided. "Lance, you and Pidge go back to the castle. Coran has the healing pods prepped and ready."

"Sure thing, Princess. Always happy to follow your orders." Anita snorted noncommittally, but Lance couldn't be bothered to try and figure out why. 

"We'll see you in a bit," Pidge called out, before opening a private line with Lance. "Race you, Sharpshooter!" she yelled excitedly, ignoring Matt's muttered, "Please don't". 

They did race and Pidge did win. 

Lance limped his way to the healing pods with Anita in tow. Matt and Pidge were already there, Pidge trying to force Matt to put on the pod suit while he went on and on about the symmetry of the ship and the advancements of Altean tech over Earth's. Matt's eyes were practically sparkling even as he finally shed his prison uniform and donned the white pod suit. 

"Go to sleep you giant nerd," Pidge commanded, closing the pod door. Slowly Matt's face settled into the softness only sleep could bring, features going lax. Pidge could finally take in all the changes to her brother's appearance. 

He was taller and his chest was more filled out. He was still a bean pole but now he was a leanly muscled bean pole. His hair was longer and he had a scar on his cheek similar to Shiro's. Matt wasn't as soft as she remembered him being, he'd been worn in different places, sanded down into something much more angular, sharper. He was still her brother, his geeking out about the ship proved that, but he was also someone new. Someone she'd have to wait and meet. Pidge had seen it in the arena, Matt had toughened up. He'd learned to stand up for himself and take command. It was strange, but she was proud of him. 

Lance had tugged the pod suit on as well and was preparing to let Pidge close him up in it. His body still ached from the torture and his first arena fight, he was more than willing to let unconsciousness take over for the next hour or two, but Anita wouldn't let go of him. 

Anita had been holding onto her brother's arm since he got out of Red, only letting go when he put on the suit. She didn't want to let go of him now, too afraid that he'd somehow disappear like last time. 

"Sis," Lance watched her reassuringly, already leaning back into the pod. "It'll only be a few hours, I'm not going anywhere." Anita nodded numbly but didn't let go. 

"Come on, Anita," Pidge said, taking hold of her new friend and replacing Lance's hand with hers. "We've got to set up blankets and pillows. Everyone camps out here when someone's in the pod." Lance sent her a grateful look as the pod closed and he too let sleep take over.

"How long until they get out," Anita asked, lip trembling with relief as the last twenty four hours finally caught up with her. 

"Coran will be able to tell you the right amount of time, but it probably won't be long." Anita thought about the scars on Lance's chest that looked like lightning marks. Suddenly, she desperately wanted to be clean. Clean of space, clean of the arena, clean of all the Galra she'd touched and been touched by today. 

"Okay, but I need to shower all this crap off first," she grunted, tugging at her armor. Pidge nodded, agreeing with her. 

"Take ten, then we're gonna turn this place into the best blanket fort these aliens have ever seen."

 


	14. Unsteady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very short chapter about how the team recovers from their mission. Next one will be longer. Promise!

**Anita's POV**

It took Anita only a few moments climb into the shower, throwing her Blue Paladin replica armor in the closet where it would clean itself. The hot, steaming spray flattened her curly hair against her head. Tears and snot mingled with the water as she finally processed all the stress and fear she'd been stamping down since she'd arrived in space. She sobbed heavily, relief coursing through her veins. 

Lance was back, he'd be awake soon, she could finally stop being strong. 

Her shoulders slumped as the sobs turned to hiccups and she scrubbed herself clean. The dress and slippers Allura had given her on the first day were still on the bed when she swayed into the room. They felt comfortable as she pulled them on. The dress looked similar to the one she'd seen Allura wearing, but it landed at Anita's mid thigh. For a moment she considered leaving the leggings off. Anita was very well aware that she had fantastically long legs, something she shared with Lance and their slightly older brother Arturo. 

She clutched the material for a moment. The fabric was cool and soft and her lethargy from the crying fit convinced her that she didn't feel like showing off tonight. 

She made her way back to the healing pods and nearly gasped out loud. Pidge had spread pillows all over the room and tossed blankets on top of everything. The floor around Matt's and Lances healing pods was one big sea of softness in blues, whites and greens. 

"Oh, you're back! We were about to come check on you." Hunk came in behind her holding a tray of snacks, Pidge on his heels with an armful of more blankets and a string of lights. 

"Yo," Pidge yelled. "What took you so long? I said take  _ten_ not forty!"

"Sorry," Anita muttered. "Lost track of time." 

"Nah, it's okay. You can help put up the tent part." Pidge waved her off. "By the way, that thing Lotor threw at me," she said extracting the bundle form under the blankets in her arms. "It's your purse." 

"What!" Anita jerked the now very dirty bag out of Pidge's hands and rifled through it. Sure enough, there was her gum and phone, her music folder and about twenty-odd writing utensils and wallet. The cigarette pack she always carried around was back in its pouch and her charger was still in the little zippered pocket. Even her bottle of perfume was still there! 

She didn't notice the little bump attached to a recently resown seam. 

"Son of a bitch," she breathed while Hunk winced. 

"Yeah, weird huh?" He placed the plate on the table and began stringing lights. "I didn't peg Lotor for the type to return the things he takes." 

"Well he didn't exactly return Lance, now did he?" Pidge asked snidely. 

"Yeah, but you know what I mean." Hunk defended. " Why would he give the bag back and what was he talking to Lance about an 'offer'?" 

"Who cares?" Pidge snorted. "He's a sore loser. We can ask Lance about it when he gets up. Until then, Anita, you got any music on that thing." 

"I'm a vocal studies student, Pidge," Anita deadpanned. "Don't insult me." 

Anita settled on her 'Chill' playlist and began helping to set up the tent just as the first sounds of 'Unsteady' began to play.

_Hold... Hold on... Hold on to me..._

"Cause I'm a little unsteady," Anita picked up the tune while Pidge and Hunk began humming along.

They worked that way, building up the tent while the songs cycled through, some in English, most in Spanish.

Keith joined them later, poking his head in the door while they fluffed up pillows and tied the blanket up high enough to sit under.

All four teens snuggled into their fort while music kept shuffling. They kept their eyes and minds on the pods though.

"Oh, here." Hunk passed around the plate of food. "I had to substitute a few ingredients, but I made brownies." Anita bit into one experimentally and nearly groaned out loud.

"Marry me, bro," she moaned.

"Lance asked me first," Hunk chuckled. "But I'll still cook for you."

"These are really good, man." Keith ate his quietly, guarding the chunk of deliciousness with his body. 

"Definitely worthy of the name 'Better-than-sex-on-a-stick Brownie'." Pidge agreed. 

"We're not calling them that!" Hunk screeched, ears turning red. 

"Why not? It's true," Pidge insisted. 

Keith snorted. "As if you know what sex feels like, Pidge." Pidge leveled him with the most deadpan stare.

"And you'd know that how?" Keith tensed. Anita and Hunk studied the tiny girl in shock. 

Pidge held the silence just long enough to make Anita question Keith's surety before sighing dramatically. 

"You're right, I've never had sex. Not that it's any of your business." 

"Oh thank God," Hunk mumbled. 

"Can we talk about something else?" Keith begged. 

"Sure," Pidge agreed. "Wanna talk about your pathetic crush on Lance?" 

"PIDGE!" 

"Oh, I knew about that," Anita chimed in. "I've got plenty of dirt on him, if you're interested."

Keith opened and closed his mouth in horror while Pidge squealed and scooted forward.

"Gimme the goods!" She cheered.

 

They spent the next few hours chatting about Lance, with Pidge throwing in a few goofy stories about Matt. Anita told them about how Lance used to mimic the CNN announcers in order to get rid of his accent before going to the garrison, and how he used to be obsessed with Desi Arnez from 'I Love Lucy'. How he could dance most of Shakira's choreography if he had a few minutes to learn it. 

They fell asleep after polishing off the plate of brownies and giggling at the expense of the two brothers in the pods. 

All the while the music played.

* * *

**Lance POV**

Lance stumbled out of the healing pod first. He was dizzy and felt weak, the dreams and memories that had been cycling through his mind since he'd been put in the pod left him feeling tense and unsure. 

His ears pricked up when he heard music. It took him a minute but he recognized 'Unsteady' by X Ambassadors. It was the first song on Anita's chill playlist, the next on was 'Lucky'. 

Speaking of his sister, she was curled up in a snuggle pile with the rest of the group. Pidge was laying on Hunk's belly like Totoro, and Keith was leaning against one of the control stations that made up the back of their blanket fort. Anita was laying on her back with her head on his thigh. Lance smiled at the sight and stumbled over. Pod sleep wasn't the same as regular sleep, and he wanted to leave the dreams and the voice of Dark Lance in the past of a little bit. 

"Scoot over, Keith-hog," he muttered to Anita while curling up beside her and entwining her hand with his. His hands had grown rougher since the last time they'd done this, the night before he got on a plane to the garrison. All of his siblings had linked hands and laid on Varadero beach in a cuddle pile. Even their oldest sister had joined them despite complaining about being twenty seven and too old for this. 

"I'm coming back in a year, guys," he'd promised. "I'll be a pilot and go to the stars, but I'll come home first." 

Lance regretted promising that, since he hadn't been able to keep it.

He studied Anita's face while she slept.

She'd gotten taller, grown into her cheekbones and chin a bit more. He groaned thinking about all the boys he'd probably have to hear about when they talked about how things had gotten at home. News could wait though, he was happy to be laying next to his family, his earth and space family, again.

The music got softer and began to fade out while his eyes closed and sleep took over. 

_Cause I'm a little unsteady, a little unsteady..."_

* * *

**Lotor POV:**

Lotor once again lounged in his commander's seat, Kova settled on his chest while Narti napped in her bunk. 

"Sir," Zethrid caught his attention. "We've established a signal. The device is working as you thought."

"Excellent," Lotor purred. "We'll know exactly where they go and when they leave."

"I'm still not sure what the point of this is, sir," Acxa grit out, watching the blinking dot on the screen. 

"We're hunting for allies, Ackie!" Ezor cheerfully hummed while recording the coordinates as they flashed across the screen. Acxa grimaced at the awful nickname.

"Ezor is correct, Acxa," Lotor said standing up. Kova resettled on his shoulder the way he often did for Narti. "Voltron could be beneficial in establishing my new empire and removing the last traces of my father's hold. Meeting Lance has shown me a new side of the Defenders of the Universe."

"What new side is that, sir?" Acxa questioned him, still unconvinced. 

"Lance seems to understand the cost of surviving. You watched his fights, he refused to kill but instead ensured that his opponents would be incapacitated and unable to fight back." Lotor paused for a moment. "He's a tactical thinker, that one, for all that Voltron doesn't utilize his skill. If we keep at them, becoming their most pressing problem, Lance will open up to the team because he wants to protect them. He'll tell them about the deal I offered and convince them that it's the safest way to proceed."

"And Voltron will just follow his lead?" Zethrid sounded confused.

"They will, because they love him and rely on his affection and companionship. He is their glue. They'll listen." Lotor sounded sure so his generals let the subject drop.

"Lancey is kind of an easy guy to understand, huh?" Ezor asked.

"He thinks the same way I do," Lotor replied. "He doesn't like taking risks with what he cares about, and he'll do anything to make sure nothing touches the ones he loves. He's a plotter, taking in everything that could go wrong and making allowances for them. He doesn't take risks with anything accept himself." 

"And you're going to use that to get what you want, right?" Ezor's tone shifted from playful to calculating in an instant. 

"Of course." Lotor flashed them a fanged grin. "But for now, we'll let them rest. The chase can always begin tomorrow. I can't wait to welcome Voltron into the fold." 

 


	15. Uptown Funk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure Fluff chapter with a bit of angst where we get the Ramirez-McClain siblings being themselves and the rest of Voltron trying to keep up. Plus the Holt Siblings and Matt being a terrible flirt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hot Damn Season five is out! and it's fantastic. My baby got screen time, we learn some actual sibling names and the Shiro Clone thing got some more depth. And Keith! OMG! Now all we need is a Lance Family flash back and some love for Hunk! Then I will be content. (Not really but you know.)

Keith woke up because his leg was completely asleep and tingling. Looking down he numbly saw that it was because both Anita and Lance were using him as a pillow, Lance snoring softly next to his sister. 

Lance," Keith mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Heavy..." Then he woke up completely. "Lance!? Oh my God, guys get up he's awake!" 

"What?" Hunk sat up immediately, Pidge falling off of his stomach and into his lap with a muffled 'oof'. Lance and Anita both flinched and started grumbling when Keith moved his leg. 

"Lance, Anita, get up!" Keith tried shaking them but got slapped by two hands.

"Can it, Marco," the siblings mumbled. 

"Who the fuck is Marco? Get offa me, my legs asleep!" 

Lance finally opened his eyes trying to focus the bleary orbs. "Oh, hey Samurai." 

"Don't 'hey' me, we thought you were gonna die!" Keith shouted, effectively waking up Anita. 

"Lance?" she whispered, unsure if her brother was real.

"Hey, Hermana," Lance grinned. 

The paladins watched as Anita launched herself at her big brother, chewing him out in a mix of Spanish and English. Lance only laughed and held onto her while sending smiles at the rest of his team. Hunk waited nervously behind Anita, teary eyed with twitching hands as he waited for his turn to hug Lance. Pidge had no such compunctions and jumped on top of the siblings in a dog pile. 

"You scared us, Asshole!" She yelled, clutching the older boy for all he was worth. 

"I know, I'm sorry." Lance patted her on the back. "If it makes you feel better, I did find your brother." 

"Finding one brother doesn't make up for loosing another, don't do that again," Pidge sobbed. 

"I won't, promise." As Lance smiled into Pidge's unruly nest of hair, Hunk's tears turned into full on water works.

"I'm tired of waiting," he yelled and rushed forward to crush the group in a bear hug dragging Keith down with him. Eventually, the new black paladin got tired of trying to squirm out and just gave in and embraced the group. 

 

Matt wasn't supposed to some out of the pod for another hour so they left Pidge to watch over him and went to make something like breakfast food. Anita and Lance stuck close together for a bit until Lance started shivering when they got to the dining room. 

"Hey, Nita, could you grab my jacket?" he asked quietly. "I'm not sure where I left it."

"Sure thing." Anita scampered off to find the jacket she'd been wearing in her brother's absence.

As soon as her ponytail vanished around the corner, Lance's smile dropped, replaced by a kind of cranky exhaustion. 

"Guys," he said, voice hard. Hunk looked up from the stove and Keith did his best not to cower in his chair. He had a feeling her knew what was coming. 

"What part of 'get her home' didn't you understand?" 

"Lance, buddy, calm down we can explain-" hunk started.

"Look, I'm glad you rescued me and that everyone's safe and all that, I really am," Lance paused to take a breath. "I just thought I could trust you to keep my little sister out of it."

"We didn't know what was happening to you, Lance," Hunk insisted. "Besides, she wanted to help and we couldn't talk her out of it!" 

"Then just chuck her in a pod and set the coordinents for home!" Lance yelled. "Or maybe put her in cryosleep! I don't care, she shouldn't have been there!"

"Lance," Keith tried.

"What, Keith. What excuse do you have? You're supposed to be the leader now!" Lance spat.

"Your sister loves you, right?" Keith asked.

The question took Lance by surprise. "Well, yeah, I mean, we're family."

"We haven't known her for very long," Keith continued, surprisingly calm for once. "But we know that she's a fighter when it comes to what she wants to protect."

"So?" Lance asked.

"So, do you honestly believe that there's any way in hell she'd stand back and let us rescue you after putting her somewhere safe?" Keith waited for Lance to respond, but the brunet just slumped forward in his seat, head resting on his arms. 

"Bud, we wanted her to be safe, but you should have seen her tear into Red, I don't think I ever want to see someone do that again." Hunk shuddered. "She's stronger than you give her credit for."

"I know she's strong, Hunk. I know that better than anyone, but can you really fault me for wanting her to be safe?" Lance's voice was muffled but they could hear him even with his face buried in the table. 

"We're not faulting you, Lance," Keith assured him. "Just remember that we can't be responsible for her actions, she showed us that she was capable of flying Red, that she had the drive to rescue you. If we didn't stop you from going head to head with Lotor, how could we stop her?" 

"You probably couldn't have even if you tried," Lance admitted, lifting his head form the circle of his arms. "Thanks for keeping her safe for me, guys." He gave them a sincere Lance grin, looking at Keith a bit longer than Hunk.

"No problem, buddy." Hunk scooped Lance up into a proper bear hug. 

"Ugh, Hunk, it's boiling," Lance coughed out while he was squeezed within an inch of his life.

"Huh, whaddaya mean, it's pretty cool in here?" Hunk asked, eyes wide and innocently confused.

"He meant your pot, Hunk," Keith filled in. "It's boiling over."

"Shit!"

 

Matt came too after everyone had finished eating and Shiro, Allura and Coran had the opportunity to join them. 

"Whoa, two gorgeous ladies! I'm in heaven." Matt giggled, sending a dopey grin towards Anita who merely raised a brow at him. 

"Heaven is where I'm gonna send you if you start flirting with my sister again," Lance threatened, only half joking. "Besides, flirting is my territory."

"Since when?" Anita asked. "You're terrible at it."

"I know, right? Ditto on Matt," Pidge chimed in. 

"We're glad to have you back with us Lance," Allura cut in. "And you as well Matt." 

"I would go anywhere if I knew a beauty like you was waiting for me," Matt gushed. 

"Yes, thank you." Allura gave him a pained smile, the kind she usually reserved for Lance and got back to the issue at hand. "Now that everyone is returned to their proper places, I'd like to address how we're to go about getting Anita back to your home world and Matt back to the rebels."

"As quickly as possible would be preferable," Lance said. "I mean, like, yesterday."

"I'm just fine here," they heard Anita grumble, but Lance ignored her.

"I say we wormhole to Earth ASAP and drop Anita off before getting back up here." 

"While we'd normally agree with you, Lance," Coran said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "There's a bit of a moritgua in the ointment when it comes to that plan." Everyone glared at Hunk, who looked appropriately ashamed of himself for teaching Coran earth idioms. Idioms he invariably mixed with Altean and used incorrectly. 

"I won't be able to produce another worm hole for a while," Allura admitted.

"What? Why?" Lance asked. 

"I've exhausted my energy getting us to the Galra headquarters. I'm afraid there was only enough left to make that final jump to here."

"So how long would it take us to get to Earth, Princess?" Shiro asked.

"I'll need a few quintants to recuperate. After that I'll be able to wormhole to your solar system. Because of this, I feel it might be in our best interests to deliver Matt to his compatriots before heading to Earth."

"Oh, no need for that, Princess," Matt piped up, swallowing his latest sporkful of goo. "Pidge already got me in contact with my superior. Since I'm the communications officer they told me it was probably best to stay here. I'll be able to keep in contact with the officers and the tech here is fantastic! Way more advanced than what they gave me to work with at my base, plus Pidge's Galra finder is perfect for what we've been trying to do when it comes to plotting out supply routes." His eyes took on a dreamy cast. "I just wanna take everything about this ship apart and see how it works. It's so mathematically brilliant!" 

"You two are definitely related," Hunk observed from his spot by the stove. 

Pidge didn't even look away from her food. "If you break my equipment you're dead, Matt."

"Then you'll be staying with us?" Coran asked, already planning room assignments. 

"If you'll have me," Matt said. "And I really hope you will," he added with a wink at Allura.

"That was actually pretty smooth," Lance admitted while Pidge groaned at various octaves for about a minute. 

"Of course we'll allow you to stay," Allura said. "I'm glad to offer the rebel forces my assistance. I'd like to speak with your superior at the earliest convenience." 

Matt's face fell and Anita cackled. "Wow, shot down without being shot down, nice."

"We'll head in the direction of Earth in the mean time, after I'm appropriately recuperated, I'll create a wormhole and we can deliver Anita home.

 

After everyone had eaten Shiro declared it a rest day. Matt and Lance, now in civilian clothes spent the day with their sisters. While Pidge showed Matt all the awesome tech parts on the ship and the other cool areas she'd discovered, Lance introduced Anita to Kaltenecker.

"She kinda reminds me of Big Tit," Anita chuckled while Kaltenecker nuzzled into her side. 

"A bit, yeah," Lance ran a hand down the cow's spine. "How's Lucky Sucker doing?"

"He was touch and go for a bit, but we got him to drink eventually." 

The Ramirez-McClain household owned two cows. Big Tit, named for the fact that she had one teet that was constantly swollen because of a benign tumor on the tip. Her baby, whose full name was 'Big Tit's Lucky Sucker' was so named because he hadn't been found for three days after his birth. Eventually, their brothers managed to locate the baby in a narrow flooded ditch with just his head above the water. After that, they'd had to hand feed him to build up his strength and he'd been dubbed Lucky Sucker. Lance had learned all this while he'd been at the Garrison.

"I can't wait to show him to you," Anita gushed, scratching Kaltenecker behind the ears. "You're gonna love him, I'm pretty sure he thinks we're his moms by now." 

They talked for a little longer about the animals they missed; Lance especially wanted to know about his chickens; Salad, Kentucky Fried, Soup and Extra Crispy. 

 

Keith found them in the Music room, following the sound of a stringed instrument. Lance with something that looked like a guitar in his lap, while Anita sang along. It was in Spanish, so Keith couldn't really tell what they were singing but it sounded nice. 

"Yo, Mullet-Man," Lance called. "Come join us." 

"I was actually gonna go to the training deck,"Keith mumbled. Somehow, knowing that Anita knew about his crush on Lance made him keen to avoid any interaction that involved all three of them in a room together.

"Didn't you hear Shiro?" Lance asked. "It's a rest day, relax!"

"Yeah, Keith," Anita joined in, shit-eating grin in place. "Come join us."

"I'm not big on music though," Keith said but he was still drawn into sitting next to Lance on the tiled floor.

Keith's insistence that he wasn't musically inclined didn't stop Anita from feigning a sore throat and goading the two boys into singing a duet, and oldies love song that was the only piece in her music folder Keith actually knew. 

After that, the session devolved into them playing hints of one song after another and the three teens eventually dissolved into giggles when Lance tried singing Bella Notte with an Italian accent. 

"I missed this," Anita gasped when she finally stopped laughing. As she pushed a hunk of curls out of her face, her sleeve fell back and revealed a thin line of text on her inner upper arm. 

"When did you get a tattoo?" Lance asked. 

"Only a little while ago," Anita said, showing it off. "Pretty cool right?"

"What's it say," Keith asked. 

"Deus, Veritas, Virtus. God, Truth, Courage," Anita recited.

"I wanted to be there when you got your first tattoo." Lance pouted.

"You wanted to take pictures of me crying," Anita retorted. 

"Yeah, to get back for that wisdom teeth video you took!" 

The announcement for lunch came just as the siblings devolved into squabbling and Keith was about to have a panic attack over how to calm everyone. Apparently food was all it took, because the argument stopped abruptly and everyone headed to the door. Anita pulled Keith aside for a second while Lance rushed to the dining room. 

"By the way," she whispered. "Lance has a tattoo as well."

Keith's mouth dried up. "What?" 

"Yeah," she smirked. "It's on his hip just where you can't see it. Ask him to show you some time." Satisfied with her teasing, Anita skipped off. 

Thankfully, no one asked why Keith's face was flaming when he got to the table.

 

"Man, I'd kill for some of mama's  _tostones_  right about now," Lance said wistfully, stirring his bowl of goo. 

"What's that," Pidge asked looking up from her computer. 

"Twice fried plantains, also known as ambrosia," Anita chimed in. "Usually, you salt and eat them like potato chips, but Mama always coats hers in a blend of sugar and paprika before frying them again. Sweet and spicy deliciousness."

"Well," Hunk said thoughtfully. "We don't have plantains, but I found something similar at one planet we visited a while ago. Didn't know what to use it for, I've never actually cooked with plantains."

"WE GOTTA MAKE 'EM!" Lance yelled. "Seriously, you guys have no idea what you're missing!"

"Can we?" Anita begged. 

"So long as nothing gets set on fire,  _Lance,_ " Hunk said, giving lance an evil eye. 

"I solemnly swear that Anita will do all the frying for this dish," Lance promised, hand over his heart. 

"Alright then," Hunk gave in, but he was still side eyeing Lance.

It took about half an hour for them to get all the ingredients and for Anita an dLance to decide that the pale pink, oblong objects were a suitable replacement for plantains. Pidge stayed in the kitchen along with Keith while Matt took a nap in the chill room, claiming that Pidge's room was a biohazard and he'd take his chances on the couch. Keith was put in charge of slicing the fake plantains with Lance while Anita and Hunk found a replacement for frying oil. Coran stayed with them as well saying that he wanted to observe human cooking for once. 

"We need cooking music!" Lance declared, making grab hands at Anita's phone. 

"No Beyonce, please," Pidge groaned. "I've listened to you sing those songs so often I'd rather not hear them again."

Lance gasped. "How dare you diss my Goddess!" he screeched while Anita rolled her eyes. 

"Pick a Bruno song, Lance," she said. 

"Fine," he pouted, pulling up the folder in the music app. 

"Who's Bruno," Keith asked. 

"King of the Sugar Daddy songs," Pidge joked.

"You know what," Lance said while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Pidge, you're not wrong, and Keith; I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that." He hit play and the first few notes of Uptown Funk began to play. 

About half way through Lance and Anita began sliding back and forth between cooking stations, two-stepping, spinning around and belting the Lyrics 

Pidge pause her typing just long enough to link the phone to the castles speaker system. Pretty soon Allura and Shiro were in the doorway staring at the strange sight the Paladins made. hunk had taken over the fryer and Pidge was dancing with Lance and Anita, twirling around and dabbing while the Cuban siblings busted out some fancy foot work. Hunk was bopping his head at the stove while Keith and Coran were sitting at the table looking shell shocked.

"I'm too hot," Anita sang.

"Hot damn!" the other three sang back.

"Is that my king I hear?" Matt yelled as he skidded to a halt outside the doorway.

 

"That was the most fun I've had in a while," Anita said as they relaxed on the couch in the chill room afterwards, the previously full plate now empty of _tostones._  The rest of the team had gone to bed after devouring the spicy sweet food _._ Anita and Lance both agreed that it wasn't as good as their mama's, but it was pretty damn close.

"Yeah, I miss cooking music." 

"Oh, by the way, I meant to give you these." Anita pulled a small packet out of the packet in her dress, passing it to Lance.

"So, you get a tattoo and think you can start smoking now?" Lance asked, studying the cigarettes she'd given him, disapproval colored his tone.

"I'm going to ISA one day, I'm not about to screw up my chances by smoking, doofus." Anita replied rubbing her stuffed stomach. 

"Then why's half of this gone?"

"I used to carry your pack around while you were at the garrison, kind of a good luck charm. I'd light one just to smell it whenever something really good happened. It made me feel like you were still home." Anita choked up a bit as she continued. "After you disappeared, I just kept doing it."

Without saying anything, Lance pulled her into a one armed hug, putting one cigarette between his lips. 

"Gotta lighter?" he asked. Anita wordlessly produced one she'd found from her pocket, already having known he'd want one.

Normally Lance didn't smoke unless he was celebrating; a birthday, a really good test score, his acceptance into the garrison. Today wasn't something that really counted as something to party about, but he felt like celebrating anyway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooo sorry for last week's update not going up. I had a bunch of assignments hit all at once and was swamped all weekend. Thanks for reading, as always. Enjoy the sibs and hit me with some comments and Kudos. 
> 
> PS: Big Tit and Lucky Sucker are based on real cows, the chickens are all Lance.


	16. Like I'm gonna loose you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kay, so we're finally gonna get some true langst. Lotor is on the hunt and Lance is getting suspicious. Dark Lance makes an appearance and Anita has to help patch her brother up. It's kind of ugly. We also get a bit about why Lance is the way he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This sweet sixteen is not so sweet, but thanks for sticking around for so long! Comment if you will, I love feedback. I apologize for slapping you with the pain right after giving you a nice, sweet, fluffy chapter! Forgive me!

**Allura’s POV:**

Lotor had been on their tail for three quintants and Allura was getting tired of Lance’s mumbling to himself. Admittedly, the Paladins were doing an excellent job of getting to the lions and defending the castle while she prepared to make either a miniscule jump or head into warp drive. Usually they’d manage to escape for the remainder of the cycle but then he would find them again. With the small jumps constantly draining her energy, Allura was left cranky and irritable. She almost forgot that she was a paladin during those two days with how often she was left in the bridge while asteroids, beams and ships flew by the window.

Lance’s sister had made herself helpful by assisting Coran around the castle or helping to cook with Hunk. Once she took over controlling the castles defenses and managed to land a shot on Lotor’s ship. Allura didn’t like being indebted to the girl, especially after the younger had scolded her like an errant child in front of the other Paladins. Maybe Allura didn’t know her Paladins as well as she could have, but they were in the middle of a war for quiznak’s sake! She didn’t have time to engage in practical jokes and ‘family dinners’ and any of the other irrelevant activities the paladins engaged in. They’d even roped Coran into acting irresponsible from time to time, but she couldn’t fault the man since he practically raised her. Honestly, if it weren’t for Shiro, the only other mature person on the ship besides her, Allura would have sent herself screaming into the cosmos in one of the pods a long time ago.

Lance’s face was shadowed as he looked over footage of their last encounter with the Galran prince. His thumb was planted firmly between his teeth as he scanned and mumbled and generally made an annoyance of himself. Normally, Allura would be glad that he was taking things seriously for once and not flirting with her, but the sound of his grinding teeth and hushed voice was beginning to set her teeth on edge. The other Paladin’s were nowhere near the command center so she had nothing to distract her from it. She just couldn’t catch a break with Lance. It was almost like he’d been designed by the Ancients to irritate her. He’d been especially irritating these past few quintants. When he wasn’t hanging around with his sister and sluffing chores and training, he wandered the halls glancing around skittishly, occasionally directing a cold look at the castles inhabitants that they either didn’t notice or didn’t understand. Allura was getting particularly tired of that look.

“Lance! Would you please stop that!” she finally snapped. His wide-eyed look when his head jerked up wasn’t enough to make her feel guilty.

“Sorry, Princess, just trying to figure something out,” he apologized.

“While I’m glad you’ve decided to try and be helpful,” she said dryly, acid leaking into her tone. “Could you attempt something in the realm of usefulness rather than watch that pointless video for the umpteenth time!” She regretted the harshness of her words as soon as Lance’s face fell and was replaced by _that_ look.

Lance had a mobile face, something that had amused her often when she watched him shift between numerous emotions quickly. It was odd to see that mobility replaced by an almost unnatural stillness. Like he had that day on the bridge, he straightened himself and glared at her icily. She always felt ‘weirded out’ as Pidge would say. The frigidity behind his treatment of her in these moments almost made her take a step away from him, but a princess doesn’t bow down or retreat. So she didn’t apologize. In a way, his coldness towards her in these moments made it easier for her not to.

“Well, I apologize for being useless, your highness,” he spat, crossly. “I’m just trying to figure out why Lotor is giving us such a long recovery time since he apparently has no issue finding us. Have you noticed that he gives us exactly twenty vargas between each attack?”

“What-“ she began but Lance cut her off again.

“Gee, I thought that was kind of odd, since, ya know, it’s kind of a specific amount of time. Combine that with the fact that he keeps baiting us but not full on attacking, as shown by the useless footage I’m going over for the umpteenth time.” She strode down from her station and hustled over to the station Lance stood at, but he blocked her with his body, which was annoyingly taller and maybe the slightest bit stronger than hers.

“Let me see, Lance,” she demanded.

“Why would I want to bother you with my useless attempt at being helpful?” he asked snidely.

“Lance,” she said. She may just have to apologize this time. “Listen to me.” Before she could finish he’d reached over and deleted the footage from the castle archives.

“There, no one has to be bothered with this completely pointless effort,” he sing songed with false cheer. Allura gaped at the now blank screen.

“What in the quiznak is wrong with you?” she shouted. “Why would you deliberately destroy something we could use?” Lance’s brows rose mockingly in fake surprise and he cupped a hand around his still hideous ear.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I thought I heard you describe it as pointless?” He smirked. “Was I wrong?” She huffed in irritation.

“Well, no,” she admitted. “But that was before you said-“

“Before I pointed out what you would have heard if you’d listened to me the first time and let me finish?” he asked. Allura clamped her mouth shut and refused to say anything. “Admit it, Princess, no matter how much I prove that I’m more than just a flirty goof ball, you’ll never see me as anything other than a joke of a Paladin. Hell, if Shiro, or even Keith, had said what I did, you would have listened, wouldn’t you?”

 _Yes,_ her mind supplied what her mouth wouldn’t. She didn’t feel happy about the admission but she could argue that Lance hadn’t given her a lot of proof to his usefulness, except that he had. Multiple times he’s cheered her up and taken care of the others, reminding Pidge to sleep or helping Hunk through one of his stress baking episodes. HE listened to Coran chatter while helping clean the castle equipment.He’d been the only one to help Keith adjust to the title of leader when her demanding the position for him hadn’t worked. He’d single handedly managed to come up with a plan to rescue his sister that didn’t risk a lion or the Paladins overmuch. He was the only one who’d managed to achieve two settings for his bayard when the others were still understanding theirs. Not only that, but he was always the one to alert them to threats when they were in battle.

Guilt pooled in her stomach like nunvile that had been sitting in the sun for a long while and turned rancid.

“That’s besides the point,” she said hastily, trying to cover up her own misdemeanors. “You still shouldn’t have-“

“Oh, shove it, Allura,” he said bluntly. She was left with her mouth open while her brain stumbled into working again. _Lance_ had never spoken to her like _that_!

“How dare you!?” without thinking her hand flew to his face. She wasn’t able to stop herself before her hand met flesh, but it was the wrong flesh.

Lance gripped her hand in an iron hold, crushing her fingers together almost painfully. Her shock held her still in his hold as he leaned in close, his expression terrifying in its cruel condescension.

“Be careful, Princess,” he whispered. “I’m not as nice as the other guy.” With that he released her and left her clutching her sore hand as she watched his back retreat, ramrod straight through the doors. A molten blend of doubt, fear, regret and worry swirled in her stomach. ‘The other guy?’ What could he possibly have meant by that?

* * *

 

**Anita’s POV:**

Anita was sitting on the rolling bed they’d put in Lance’s room so the siblings could share, reading an Altean comic Coran had recommended to her. She couldn’t understand the dialogue, but apparently body humor wasn’t just an Earth thing. Lance had said that he wanted to check something on the bridge and would be gone until dinner, so she’d decided to stay put in the room. The other Paladins were great, and Coran was like an uncle to her already, but there were days when Anita needed the numbness of absolute silence and the lack of other people’s energy.

She sighed and set the book aside. It wasn’t distracting her from what a failure her plan to make Lance come home with her was. She’d been dropping hints since the night they’d gotten him back. Talking about how Earth was safer. How everyone missed him. She wasn’t ashamed to say that she’d tried to guilt him with all the birthdays and quinceanera’s he’d missed, not to mention the family gatherings. Her ace in the hole had been telling him about how their mama had set up a memorial with his picture and lit a candle every night, but even that hadn’t worked. He’d looked sad, sure, but he’d come back at her with the argument that he was helping to keep the universe safe and that he’d come home as soon as they’d defeated the Galra. No matter how much she’d insisted that his place wasn’t in space, he’d kept telling her that this was where he needed to be. With a desperate groan she closed her eyes, wondering what else she could use to convince him.

She was surprised when the door slid open and Lance stumbled in looking pale and shaking with tear tracks running down his face. He didn’t say anything, just fell onto the bed and leaned on her. Anita didn’t think before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and letting him sob into her shoulder.

< _Hey, what’s wrong?_ > she crooned in Spanish, hoping it would ground him a bit.

< _I… Allura… > _He gasped out between whimpers.

< _What’s that bitch done now?_ > Anita growled. No matter how much time had passed since their argument, Anita still hadn’t seen any proof that Allura truly cared about her brother or any of the Paladins actually. To her they were probably just soldiers to command.

< _It wasn’t her, sis. It was me._ > Lance said weakly.

< _What, did you say something mean?_ > she asked. He nodded.

< _That and I… I…_ > He stopped and switched to English, almost like he couldn’t bear to say it in his mother language.

“I hurt her, ‘Nita, physically.” The sobs came faster. “After Nigel, and all those times I helped vet you guys’ boyfriends to make sure they wouldn’t hurt you, I raised my hand against a woman.” The shock left Anita mute and her mind threw he back to watching the video of his fight against that monster thing. Dread clawed it’s way up her throat.

“What exactly did you do,” she asked, switching to English as well.

“I said a lot of things, I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t stop myself, he wouldn’t let me.”

“Who’s ‘he’?” she asked.

“The, the other Lance,” Lance sniffled. “The one that doesn’t mind hurting people. That guy.” Anita filed that away to address later. She knew her brother wasn’t schizophrenic, at least he hadn’t been before this. Right now she needed to finish getting the story out of him.

“Okay, and what else happened?”

            “Allura tried to smack me, and I probably deserved it, but I didn’t let her. I grabber her and started squeezing her hand as hard as I could. I didn’t let go for a while.”

Anita sighed in relief. “Lance, that’s self defense,” she tried.

“No I wanted to hurt her!” he wailed. “This wasn’t like with Lotor’s generals, that's self defense! I wanted to hurt Allura, I hated her right then and I just wanted to hurt her!”

“But you didn’t, not really, Allura’s pretty strong. I’ve seen her throw Shiro across a room while you guys were training.” Anita tried to make him understand. Lance had been on edge since he’d gotten back. She’d attributed it to PTSD. The fact that he hadn’t talked to anyone about it had worried her but he'd said he was fine. She'd let it go, figuring that he'd tell someone if he got bad. She wasn’t surprised that he’d snapped at one of them. She was even less surprised that it was Allura.

Anita grimaced. After Carmen, Lance had sworn that he’d never hurt a woman out of anger. Would never be an abuser. He’d gone on a long campaign to make sure that he never intimidated a girl. The way he talked to girls had changed, even the way he dressed. He joke flirted a lot, made sure they knew he wasn’t serious and acted like a goof. His baggier clothes made him seem like less of a threat and more like a skinny jokester. Those pick up lines he was so proud of? He’d chosen them specifically because they had a 99% chance of failing, and he greeted every last eye roll with a grin.

The only time he’d dropped that façade was when he saw a girl or guy getting harassed, or when he was checking out the boys their sisters or she brought home. They’d gone to a bar one night to celebrate him getting into the garrison and he’d nearly gone off the rails on a guy that was harassing this one girl named Jenny. They’d hit it off after words and Lance had gone right back to being a joking flirt.

“Sis,” he mumbled. “I wanna go home. I can’t take this anymore. I can’t deal with the ‘Other Lance’. I don’t wanna be that person.”

“Okay, _hermano_ , we can go home.” She held onto him tighter as her head cheered in victory, but her heart keened for her poor brother. She'd already decided that they'd have a long talk with Coran tomorrow about this 'Other Lance'. Maybe the old Altean could help. 


	17. Rock Bottom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coran gives the Paladins some news on Lance's condition. Lotor becomes active again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very short and I apologize for missing last week but I will be back next Saturday.

**Anita's POV:**

Anita was good at pretending that she had her life together. The cops at the self defense courses had taught her to remain calm at all times, and her vocal teacher made her practice posture until she no longer felt like sagging in relief when she walked off stage. Appearance is key. Raise your chin, point your feet forward, count your steps and make the world think that you have everything under control. Smile like you make the flowers bloom, and walk like you're keeping time, as her vocal teacher Mrs. Esposito says. 

So that's what Anita did.  When Lance had disappeared, she'd hid the tears and helped their mom, she'd walked Veronica's kids to school like always, and turned in her homework on time even though her teachers would have gladly given her an extension. She'd known that Lance wasn't gone, not really. But weeks had turned into months and that month into a year, her sixteenth birthday passed, Lance's eighteenth following not long after. They'd held a candle-light vigil that day and the house had been eerily silent. When a year had passed and there was still no news, her mask began to crack a bit. She started getting desperate and sloppy, her grades dropped, as did her performances. She started pestering the Garrison and the police. When that didn't work, she went to Lance's student exchange agent to see if she could pull a few strings. Nothing. It started getting harder to smile, harder to breathe sometimes. Her faith that Lance was okay was crumbling bit by bit. 

The night she'd been taken, Anita had broken down in Mrs. Esposito's studio, crying on the portly Italian-Cuban woman that often reminded her of her mom. Anita had been sent home as soon as her tears dried, with a new piece of music because Mrs. Esposito thought it might help get her mind off things. Getting captured had been a surprise, but seeing Lance again had felt like someone removing an iron rod from her ribcage. 

As she walked alongside Lance to meet Coran, she put the mask back on. It was time to be strong again. 

Lance himself looked drained. His eyes were red and puffy and his entire being seemed to droop more than usual. Anita didn't know Coran very well, but the encyclopedic knowledge he seemed to possess about anything 'space' put her in the mindset that he'd know how to fix her brother. She kept her pace brisk, walking a sharp staccato while Lance puttered along beside her. 

The doors to the med bay opened to reveal Coran in an odd pose that had his leg up almost parallel to his body while he attempted to use his toes to hold a flashlight at a hard to reach panel that had been removed, exposing the wiry guts of the castle. 

"Oh," he said, right before loosing his grip on the flashlight which landed on his head. "My boy you look dreadful!" Coran hustled over, ignoring the bruise forming in his hairline. 

"Thank's Coran," Lance muttered. 

"He's been having some issues," Anita summed up. "Can you look him over, please?"

"Of course! Tell me, what kind of issues?" Coran directed Lance to sit on one of the beds and had him list out his symptoms. 

 

"A rise in violent tendencies?" Coran asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, Allura did say something odd about you yester-quintant." He eyeballed Lance while the Cuban boy blushed and stammered.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't mean to!" 

"You're saying that you couldn't stop yourself?" There was no judgement in Coran's voice, just understanding and curiosity. 

"Yeah," Anita supplied when Lance stayed silent. "He said something about another 'him' last night."

"Hmm..." Coran tugged his mustache. "Alright, I think I have an idea of how to fix this." He turned to Lance. "My boy, I need you to take off your shirt."

"What?" Lance jerked up so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.

"Come on, off with it!" Coran went around collecting a few items from the counters while Lance hesitantly pulled off his shirt. 

 

Anita hadn't seen her brother's torso since they'd brought him back from Lotor, but the puckered lightning strike wounds were just the same as she remembered. She could tell Lance was pretty self conscious, sitting there half naked while his pseudo uncle and sister waited for something to happen. 

Coran tsked. "It's exactly as I thought." He took an instrument and ran it along Lance's scars. The markings glowed for a moment as the dull object ran over them. 

"What the hell is that," Anita asked, mask slipping again. 

"It's ancient Altean Alchemy," Coran replied, poking and prodding at different scars that circled around Lance's chest and back in a spiral pattern. "You had a run in with Hagar didn't you?" Lance hesitated before nodding his head. 

"You should have told us," Coran chided, a loving scowl firmly fixed in place. 

"Didn't wanna worry you guys," Lance said softly. Coran took hold of Lances shoulders and waited for the Cuban to look him in the eye. Denim blue met sky blue and Coran glared until Lance began to shy away. 

"It worries me more when you suffer in silence, Lance," Coran chided gently. "I'd hate to lose another son because he doesn't want to cause me pain." Anita didn't comment on the 'another son' the Older Altean had long reminded her of a parent, but the thought that he'd lost a child made her heart clench in sorrow for him. 

"I'm sorry," Lance whispered, leaning into the advisor. "I thought I could handle him, but it's too much." Gasps and sobs rocked his body and Anita joined in and supported him from behind, rubbing small circles into his back. 

"Coran," she said as calmly as she could. "What exactly is this alchemy supposed to do?" 

"It draws out the worst parts of yourself," Coran explained. "Doubt, anxiety, anger, pain, all of it. The spell makes them more intense and gives them some kind of power over the body, gradually draining out the will to resist and turning the bearer into a remorseless soldier. Alteans once used it to create super soldiers, until King Alfor's grandfather forbade the use of something so inhumane. I believe this is why Lance fought the way he did during his gladiator matches."

"That sounds like a good move." Anita shuddered at the thought of Lance turning permanently into the person she'd seen during the recorded match.

"I believe if we scanned Lance's brain right now, we'd see evidence in the lack of serotonin and oxytocin." Coran wrapped Lance's jacket around his shoulders. "I'm sorry, my boy, some of the fault lies with me. I didn't give you a thorough enough check up after you recovered. I just assumed that this kind of magic had died out a long time ago."

Lance shook his head. "It's not your fault, I didn't want anyone to see them so I just told you I was fine."

Anita wrapped an arm around her brother. "Alright, we know what it is, how do we fix it?"

Coran began stroking his mustache again. "We'll need the other paladins, and the healing pods. Lance has to defeat this angry version of himself in his own mindscape. It's best to have another paladin with him so that he won't get lost in this other Lance's pain." Lance made a wounded sound and clutched the linens on the bed.

"I can do it!" Anita volunteered, but Coran shook his head sadly.

"The process must be with someone that has shared our Lance's mind before. The Paladins have all been connected through the mind meld devices and through Voltron." Anita looked miffed at this explanation but had to accept it if she wanted her brother to be okay.

"Fine," she sighed. "When do we do this?"

"As soon as possible."  

* * *

**Lotor POV:**

"Zethrid, has the signal recalibrated?"

"Not yet, sir." The giant Galran woman studied the frequency while a soft growl passed through her lips. she hated this waiting period. 

Lotor let his general stew in her emotions and focused instead on studying the footage from their most recent altercations with the Paladins. Ezor groaned from her spot on the floor, where she was sprawled out and drawing on Narti's tail with a marker.

"Why did we use a device with such a long recovery time!?" she yelled pitifully. 

"Because this model is able to send a location through most areas, even ones with odd magnetic fields," Acxa supplied, glaring, unapprovingly at the smiley face taking form on Narti's tail.

"Correct, Acxa, thank you," Lotor complimented his most studious general offhandedly.

"Of course, sir." Acxa bowed respectfully in his direction. 

"We have a location," Zethrid hollered. 

"Excellent," Lotor leapt off the command chair. "Let's pay our friends a visit shall we?"

"We're basically family by now," Ezor quipped.

"True," Lotor agreed staring at the blinking dot located in quadrant XL12-1406866.

 


	18. Carry On Wayward Son

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Your title this chapter comes courtesy of the excellent ScoobyNatural cross over.)
> 
> Lance finally tells the gang about the deal Lotor offered him and they come up with a game plan to get rid of the Shadow Lance implanted into him by Haggar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you are, a day late, and I apologize for that. But, hey, my thesis is mostly taken care of so I have a lot less to worry about now! Yay!

**Allura POV:**

"Exactly twenty vargas, you said?" Allura watched Shiro mull the information over. After Lance had stormed off, she'd spent the remainder of the night going over the other footage from their three quintants of fleeing the Galran prince. Lance had been right. Lotor hadn't used nearly the same force they'd seen from him previously, it seemed more like he was trying to run them ragged rather than capture or defeat them. 

"Lance noticed," she said quietly. "I yelled at him and he began speaking about how the time between attacks was very specific and how Lotor was holding back each time."

"Lance noticed?" Shiro sounded incredulous. "Princess, are you sure you're thinking of the right person? Lance isn't exactly the most observant person in the room, remember? He's more of a goofball than anything else." Allura found that Shiro's words irritated her greatly, especially after she'd thought something similar and had proved herself wrong when she'd looked at the facts. Lance may have been a bit of a goof, but he had much more to offer than simple mirth.

"Yes, he's actually quiet observant when it matters. I've noticed that he's caught a few things most of us would have missed, even you." Allura ignored the thought that she was defending Lace so firmly because she felt guilty. She'd excused much of Shiro's recent behavior because of his traumatic experience of escaping the Galra a second time, but his recent actions were beginning to worry her. Guilt slammed into her again when she remembered that she hadn't extended that same courtesy to Lance, who'd also escaped from the Galra. 

Shiro sighed. "Okay, so what do we do with this information?"

"We're obviously being tracked somehow," Allura said. "I suggest that we get the paladins together and have Pidge scan for abnormalities in the ship's infrastructure. According to previous experience, we have only five vargas until the next attack."

The doors to the lounge slid open revealing Coran, closely followed by Lance and his sister. The former was hunched over himself while the latter looked nervous and kept a hand on Lance's shoulder, offering comfort it would seem. 

"Ah, Princess!" Coran rushed over, his expression one of slight panic mixed with relief. "We were looking for you. I believe that we have something that needs to be discussed with all the Paladins regarding Lance." Coran looked back at the young boy like he was incredibly concerned. After the way Lance had acted, Allura could understand the feeling, her Paladin hadn't been himself lately, it had just taken him snapping at her to make the message sink in. Obviously, Coran had some new information to discuss.  

"Very well, Coran," she said. "We were just about to call them anyway."

"Let me do the honors, Princess." Coran rushed off to summon the Paladins to the lounge area. 

Lance and Anita sank onto a couch and seemed content to wait. Allura studied the siblings closely, as did Shiro, but his gaze lacked the intensity of hers. He was watching the new red Paladin with something like mild curiosity, as if Lance's appearance wasn't worrisome enough. The normally looks conscious Paladin was droopy. For someone who always insisted on taking care of himself, the bags under his eyes said that the opposite was happening. He looked like he hadn't gone through the skin care routine he'd been so religious about following in days, and his hair was showing its true curly nature, something she'd only seen when Lance was pulled into battle before being able to perform his usual "Morning Beauty Routine", or late at night when she'd caught him searching for a snack. 

How had it taken her this long to notice?

"Lance?" she asked, approaching slowly. "Are you feeling well?"

Lance looked at her ruefully. "Coran told me not to lie, so I'm gonna have to say no, Princess." 

"Were you lying to us before, then?" Lance had come out of the healing pod looking like himself according to the other paladins, and he hadn't complained to anyone to her knowledge, so she'd simply assumed that he was fine. Why had she let it slide like that? Why hadn't she checked just to be sure? He was expected to accompany her in battle, the least Allura could do was ask after his health after such an ordeal.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Lance sounded so tired. "By the way, Princess, about last night, I'm sorry." Allura felt a bit taken aback. 

"I should be the one apologizing, Lance. I'm truly sorry for the way I treated you."

"What happened last night," Shiro asked. 

"An argument," Allura cut in before Lance could explain. "One that I was mostly responsible for." 

"It wasn't all your fault, Princess." Lance tried to smile at her, but she could see that he still felt pained at the memory.

"What's this about Lance being in trouble?!" Hunk burst through the doors at a dead run, closely followed by Keith, who had sweat stains on his shirt under his arms and around his collar. He'd been in the training room, then. And the flecks of food on Hunks hand, not to mention the single oven mitt he was wearing and the frilly blue apron, spoke of the kitchen and an experiment with food. Pidge came scampering in behind them with Coran huffing and puffing behind her. 

"As I was- huff- saying," he said, trying to catch his breath. "Lance and I will explain now." 

* * *

**Keith POV:**

Not for the first time, Keith was pissed at his inability to communicate with others. The more Lance talked about being in Galra custody, the more Keith kicked himself for not asking after him. Lance had just seemed so  _Lance_ when he'd gotten out of the healing pod. So normal and affectionate that Keith had let it go, thought that Lance was fine and safe and happy. Somehow, Keith had let himself think that the torture Lance had gone through wasn't effecting him. That had been really stupid. 

Hunk was in tears again and rubbing his face in Lance's hair as the two sat on the couch. Keith wanted to do that too, a bit. He wasn't the best with touch or hugs but he knew Lance was a tactile person. Keith wanted to give him at least a little bit of comfort, but he wasn't sure how to start. Lance seemed anxious, talking about the druid's torture and his fights in the Arena. 

"I'm sorry, man," Lance said, looking at Matt. "When we were in the arena, I was ready to attack you when Lotor told me to. I didn't want to." 

Matt waved his hand at Lance dismissively. "Don't worry, I'm used to people trying to kill me by now." Pidge hit him over the head swiftly. "OW! Anyway, I'm more concerned about what this has to do with the way Lotor has been chasing us."

Lance sighed. "Lotor spoke with me before that final fight," he said. "Told me about his plans for the empire. Apparently, he hates being lorded over by Zarkon, and wants to do things his way. He wants us on his side too."

"Well that's obviously not going to happen," Pidge snorted. "The guy's insane."

"That's what I told him, but after the way he's been following us these past few days, I think he still wants to make a deal."

"Yes," Allura cut in. "Shiro and I were discussing that earlier. I believe that we are being tracked. We'll need to run more scans to be sure." 

"When would Lotor have had time to get a tracer on the ship?" Keith asked, crossing his arms and frowning. Lance kept telling him that it would cause wrinkles but Keith hadn't been able to bring himself to care. He was more concerned with the fate of his team than his face. 

"I'm not sure, but, according to the previous pattern, we only have about four more vargas before they find us here as well." Allura went to a corner of the room and pulled up a diagnostics screen. "I've run a scan of the exterior of the ship, but nothing appeared. I'd like to check the outside personally to be sure, but I have a feeling that the tracker might very well be inside the ship."

"I swear to God I didn't bring it with me!" Lance said, shocking Keith. 

"We didn't think that, Lance," he said, trying to calm the other boy down. "Why would you think that?"

"Ah, that brings us to the other topic of discussion." Coran stepped forward, placing a hand on Lance's shoulder. He looked down at the ex-blue Paladin sadly, which set off alarm bells in Keith's brain. "My boy, if you will? I think it's time to show them." 

Lance nodded and shucked off his jacket, looking around the room nervously before taking off his shirt. Keith gasped, as did everyone else. Spirals of lightning like scars, all a waxy, whitish color, ran around Lance's chest. They looped over his shoulders and around his back, tracing the lean muscles of his abdomen and shoulders. It was almost painfully beautiful to Keith. The pattern was so specific, he could almost think of it like a tattoo, but the way Lance hid his face while they all stared at him immediately turned the scars ugly and revolting. 

"Lance, why didn't you tell us?" Shiro almost barked. "This is important information!" 

"I didn't want you guys to see them," Lance said quietly. "It's gross and I didn't want you to worry about me."

"We talked about this,  _hermano_ , you have to tell people when you're in pain. It's not good to bottle it up." Anita took hold of Lance's hand, gripping it tightly. 

"Coran, is that what I think it is?" Allura questioned the adviser who was fiddling with the screen she'd abandoned. 

"Indeed it is, Princess. Altean alchemy, the Xaltorez spell. Originally designed to make normal Alteans into super soldiers, who fought without remorse, pain or fear. The drawback that made it so dangerous was that it leeched them of their more healthy emotions; sadness, joy, love. They were more likely to attack their own people than the enemy."

"I read about it in history books when I was little," Allura said. "It sounded like a terrible spell." 

"Indeed, if I'd seen the marks after he'd left the healing pod, I would have been alerted to Lance's condition much sooner. As it is, well..."

"We can cure him, right!" Pidge looked a little desperate as she nearly vaulted over the couch to get to the screen revealing the spells information. 

"We can, but it will have to be quick. the good news is, we have everything we need right here!" 

"So, you're saying that the only time something goes our way, is when everything isn't going our way?" Hunk asked, deadpan from his place by Lance. 

"Precisely!"

"What exactly do we need to fix this?" Keith butted in, he was tired of waiting for them to get to the point. "And Lance, you can put your shirt on now!" Even with the crazy situation and the scars, seeing Lance half naked sent a prickle of heat up the back of his neck. Anita and Hunk sent him knowing smirks while Lance wiggled back into his clothes. 

Coran pulled up a bunch of schematics of the pods and began pointing to different areas. 

"First, we'll need as many Paladins as possible in the pods while wearing the headsets. The people that go under will have had to have shared a headspace with Lance before, like when you all formed Voltron. Allura will have to stay out here to keep the ship running, so, Shiro, that means you'll be going in." Shiro shrugged at the demand. 

"Second, you'll all go into cryosleep and enter Lance's mindscape. The Xaltorez spell creates an alternate shadow personality that gradually envelopes the victim and destroys them from the inside until the darkness is all that's left. You'll have to confront this shadow personality and destroy it." 

"How long do we have?" Keith asked. 

"At most, maybe another Quintant," Coran sighed. "I'll need a few Vargas to prepare the pods but we need to do this as soon as possible."

"And Lotor is due to attack at any moment," Allura massaged her temples before beginning to issue orders. "Coran will prepare the pods. We'll begin the operation after we deal with Lotor."

"Why not leave now?" Keith asked

"However he's tracking us, it gives us twenty vargas between each meeting, I'm not sure if jumping now will give us the same amount of time or if it'll just lead him to us after the remaining four. I don't have the energy to make more than one jump for the remainder of the quintant." 

Keith wanted to argue, he really did, but she made sense, and he'd probably pushed his luck enough when it came to questioning her decisions. 

 

While Coran set up the pods, the group had four hours to kill, Lance wandered off, telling the rest of them that he wanted to nap for a while, Matt followed Anita and Hunk into the kitchen with a scanner that he was set on customizing for Pidge, but the way he kept glancing at Anita nervously told Keith that what he really wanted, was to talk to Lance's sister without her big brother glaring at him. Anita didn't seem to mind Matt's flirting anymore now that she'd had a few days to get used to it. Lance was the one that seemed to take offense, especially when Anita flirted back. 

Pidge headed to the pods with Coran after giving Lance a firm hug, sniffling into his chest and apologizing for not noticing. Shiro and Allura went to the bridge to begin scanning the castle once more. Keith was left alone in the lounge room. 

For once, he didn't feel like training. Instead he got a rag and ointment and set to work on cleaning his galra blade. When that was finished, he went and found the pile of socks in his room that were filled with holes. Normally, he wouldn't bother mending them, but if he didn't do something with his hands he'd go insane. the mind numbing work kept him occupied, even if the final result was ugly. 

He was surprised to find Lance at his door an hour later. 

"Can I sleep here?" the Cuban asked. 

"What?"

"Look, I can't sleep in my room for some reason, and everyone else is doing something, so I can't bother them." Lance looked at him nervously, gnawing on his bottom lip. Keith, still a bit shocked by the sudden outburst, nodded. 

"Thank's man." Lance went over and laid down on Keith's bed like he owned it, but Keith wasn't really bothered by it. He took his mending to the desk and kept working while Lance rolled around and got comfortable. 

Keith kept his eyes on his socks so he didn't stare at Lance. He wanted to ask the other boy a million questions, but none of them seemed necessary in the face of Lance's obvious exhaustion. 

"Your stitches are too big," Lance muttered." 

"What?"

"Your stitches," Lance yawned, snuggling into Keith's pillow. Keith never thought that image would be so adorable. "They need to be smaller and closer together. Make's it less sloppy looking." 

"O-okay, thanks." Keith immediately tried correcting his technique. Lance was right, it did look neater. 

"Thank's for letting me stay here, Mullet." Lance whispered. 

Keith rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Just go to sleep, moron."

Lance chuckled. "You know you love me." 

Keith's heart stopped for a second, but he was saved from responding by the soft snores Lance started emitting. For a minute he let himself study the exhausted frame of the guy who'd helped him pull Shiro out of the Garrison's quarantine tent all those months ago. It was weird how quickly he'd come to care about this group of people. How fast he'd gotten attached to them. It almost scared him. 

"Yeah, maybe I do, a bit," he admitted aloud to Lance's sleeping face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect Klance next week!!!


	19. Roll Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally take the steps to get rid to the shadow Lance, but things never go exactly as planned, do they?
> 
> this is mostly fluffy with a bit of Hangst in the beginning. Hunk is such a sweetheart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised Klance, and I hope I delivered at least somewhat. Also, I had to let Hunk have a bit of attention. He gets ignored enough in canon already. Enjoy!

**Hunk POV:**

Their battle with Lotor went the way all the rest of them had. The prince of grapes would attack, Hunk would fight down nausea as Yellow launched off and then there'd be a lot of flashing lights while Allura tried to get the wormhole open. 

It took a lot longer this time around, probably because she was tired and also because Coran had nixed the idea of Lance being in the battle while the shadow personality was so close to the surface. 

Which, lets be real, scared the crap out of Hunk. Ever since he'd met Lance, Hunk had relied on his friend's peppy personality to pull him out of the panic driven headspace he often found himself in. His mom had called it Imposter Syndrome. Whenever someone had complimented him or told him to apply to these great schools, Hunk had shuddered and backed away. The thought of people relying on him, on the things he'd made, terrified him. Food was one thing, mechanics that would carry a full grown adult to the outermost edges of the solar system and back was something entirely different. It was amazing he'd even submitted his application to the Garrison. Personally, he'd thought that he was better off where he was, working in their family restaurant where it was easy to make people happy. 

Nonetheless, at his broad-shoulderd mom's insistence he'd packed up his room in Tutuila and headed to San Fransisco and then on to the Galaxy Garrison in Arizona. Getting Lance as a roommate had been a stroke of luck, though it hadn't seemed that way at the time. Honestly, the skinny kid that showed up in the dorm room had almost terrified him. He was used to Lance now, but back then Lance's talkative nature made Hunk jumpy. He'd had friends back home, no one he'd call a best friend, but people he occasionally hung out with, none of them were as outgoing as Lance, though. It wasn't until Lance introduced him to his family over a video call that he started to relax around the other boy. 

At Lance's urging, he'd waved high to the mass of relatives that were crowded around the computer back in Cuba. He'd only meant to meekly great them and then retreat to the safety of his bed, but Lance kept insisting that he talk about the project they'd been working on for a class. He'd explained what he was working on to the enraptured family. As they asked questions, Lance's older brother Marco specifically, Hunk felt himself growing more comfortable. Lance tossed in a few reminders but stayed quiet while Hunk talked to his family.

After that, it had been a steady fall into best friendship. Lance loved reminding Hunk that he was intelligent and deserving of the Garrison and generally an all around great person, and Hunk didn't mind going along with Lance's crazy plans and mood swings. He'd also found the one person whose metabolism could keep up with his cooking. He'd seen Lance put away a whole cake before and none of it showed! How he was able to keep the lean muscle around his torso, Hunk would never understand. 

He hated himself for not noticing that Lance was still messed up after he'd gotten out of the healing pod. He'd just been so used to Lance being the one who was upbeat, he'd begun to think that nothing got Lance down. It was like he was a bouncy ball, rebounding off of all the things that popped up in his way. Only Iverson had managed to make Lance upset for more than a few moments, and hunk hated the jerk for it. There were other things too, but Lance often didn't want to talk about them, so Hunk had helped by stuffing Lance with pastries. Pastries wouldn't fix all this though. 

"Big man, you feeling okay?" Lance asked as they walked to med bay after settling in a new corner of the quadrant Allura had warped them too. He'd been worried about how close they were to their last location and Lotor, but Matt had dutifully begun scanning the ship, room by room, looking for whatever was sending out their location while Allura and Anita checked the outside of the ship with one of the drones the paladins piloted from their chairs in the command room. 

Hunk and Lance were the only two in the hallway at the moment, the rest of the Paladins taking longer to change out of their armor. 

"Hunk? Buddy? You alright?" Lance tried again.

"Stop asking me that," Hunk said, angrier than he meant to.

"... Sorry." 

"No," Hunk growled. "You don't get to do that. You don't get to shoulder everything by yourself and then apologize to me."

"Um, what?" Lance asked, his tired looking eyes widening. 

"I- You know what!" Hunk yelled. "You just kept it all in. You always listen to me when I complain, so why didn't you tell me?" 

"Hunk, I-"

"We're best friends, Lance." Hunk's lip started wobbling and tears welled up. "Or am I the only one that thought that?" 

"Buddy, no! We are I swear!" Lance tried to defend himself in the face of Hunk's oncoming waterworks. "I thought I could handle it." Lance sighed and scrubbed his hands down his face. There were bags under his eyes, Hunk noticed, and a bit of shadow on his chin. It was like he'd aged five years in two nights. The haggard appearance made Hunk want to cry even more. 

"For a while I thought it was a hallucination. Back in the ring. I- it helped me get though it all. I just let that thing take over and it was so much easier to fight back. I hated it, the fighting, but I wanted to survive and get back to you guys."

"Lance, you don't have to be strong all the time. Believe it or not, I know that things get to you. I thought that maybe you'd talk to me if I just waited long enough but apparently that''s not gonna happen."

"I'm sorry about that, man, I really am." Lance rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just not used to people giving me their undivided attention for very long. Back home, there's always something or someone that needs help. I guess I got used to never telling people when I was upset."

"Get used to it," Hunk said with a finality that had Lance looking at him with owl-wide eyes. "I'm not gonna let this happen again. So if I think you aren't talking enough, I will pester the hell out of you until you tell me."

"I appreciate it, dude, but I think, after this, I'm gonna go back home with Anita."

"What!" Hunk gripped Lance by his biceps. "You can't leave! What are we gonna do without you?" 

"Hunk," Lance sighed. "Let's face it, I'm not really necessary here, and I'm tired. I can't take all this insanity anymore. I wanna go home."

"First off, there are so many things wrong with that sentence," Hunk began. "You are beyond necessary, and not just as a Paladin either. Second of all, I will not argue with you about this until we get that  _thing_ out of your body and you've had at least eight hours of rest and a lot of food. Maybe by then you'll be in a better state of mind."

Lance rolled his eyes. "You're not gonna convince me otherwise, but I appreciate it."

"Ten bucks says that you'll stay," Hunk retorted.

"Fine, but don't tell the team yet. I don't want to cause any more problems until after we get Prince Barney off of our backs."

"Fine."

* * *

**Keith POV:**

Hunk and Lance were the last ones to make it to the med bay except for Shiro, who had to tell Allura something. It was odd but Keith didn't feel like asking why. There was a cloud over Hunk but the two were standing close together and acting more like the touchy BFF's Keith had known them as when they'd first become a team. Pidge wandered over to chat, completing the 'Garrison Trio' as they called themselves. The sight sent a spear of hurt through Keith. As close as he and Lance had gotten, he didn't really have a space over there between the tiny green Paladin and the large yellow Paladin. The Garrison was a painful memory for him, especially after loosing Shiro and then getting kicked out. 

"Alright, Paladins," Coran called. "Time to change into pod suits!"

At the command, they all stripped down to their underwear and began pulling on the skin-tight suits. 

"Hunk, my boy, that is an impressive tattoo!" Coran's voice had Keith turning his head to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, Hunk's left shoulder was covered in a half tattoo sleeve that looked both impressive complicated. 

"I know right!" Lance said, his suit, like Hunk's hanging around his hips only half zipped. 

"Dude," Pidge joined in, her suit already up and fastened. Keith figured being smaller meant that she spent less time getting dressed. 

He wandered over to join them after zipping up the back of the pod suit. "That's amazing, man," he said admiring the swirls and thick, black lines. "When did you get this?"

"Fifteen. It's kind of a tradition back home."

"He never shows it off either," Lance complained loudly. "He's got this awesome tatt but he never lets anyone see it!"

"You never let anyone see yours," Hunk retorted. 

"Jesus Lance," Pidge said. "You smoke, apparently can fight well,  _and_ you have a tattoo now? I never pegged you as a problem child."

"Stuff it short stack," Lance said. Keith saw his opportunity, Anita's words from a few days ago dancing around in his head like the sugar plums from the Christmas carol. 

"What's your tattoo, Lance," he asked as innocently as he could. Pidge sent him a knowing smirk when Lance blushed. 

"Okay, so I got it after I got to the US on our first weekend break, I was a little homesick and figured why not," he said bitting his lip cutely. 

"I held his hand the whole time," Hunk said proudly. 

"Alright, show us the goods," Pidge said. 

"Just don't laugh." Lance rolled down the suit over his right hip. Slowly, an outline of Cuba, the interior filled with the Cuban flag, was revealed. Keith was a bit distracted by the strip of skin under his hip bone that was being revealed but he didn't miss the way Lance's mouth curved. The tired, fond smile Lance gave as they looked at the tattoo seemed to accentuate just how exhausted he looked. 

"It's a bit cliche," Pidge broke the silence. "But I don't think it's anything to laugh at. Nowhere near as impressive as Hunk's though. Hate to tell ya."

Lance snorted. "I know, but there's no way I was sitting through that."

"Wimp," Pidge teased.

"Call me what you will, Pidgette, but I feel no shame in accepting my wimpy tattoo."

"I think it's nice," Keith said. He felt his neck heat up as they all looked at him. 

"Of course you would," Pidge muttered. 

"I-I mean," he sputtered. "It's a nice thought, you know. Having something you love always with you?"

Lance grinned at him more broadly than he'd seen him do in a while. "Thank's, man."

Shiro joined them before Keith could say anything. 

"Alright, gang, let's get this show on the road."

"Sure thing, Fred," Pidge muttered and Lance and Hunk snickered at the Scooby Doo reference. Quickly, they all dressed and were sorted into pods. 

 

"Now, you're going to be a little confused at first," Coran said, handing them the headsets. "But don't worry, just start walking in any direction and you'll find each other, then you can get started!" 

"What do you mean by 'walking'?" Keith asked. 

"You'll see when you get there!" Coran yelled before pulling the switch that sealed up the pods. For a moment, Keith panicked, thinking that he'd seen one too many movies where a nutty professor character said something just like that right before everything went wrong, but a numbness was already crawling up his limbs and his eyes felt heavy. Before he could do anything, he was asleep.

 

Keith woke up in a blank space that was all black. He spent a lot of time yelling for the other Paladins before remembering Coran's advice to start walking. In customary Keith manner, he bolted off in a direction, not thinking too hard about it. 

Gradually, the blackness around him began to alleviate. Colors started filtering through and something told him that he was going in the right direction. The sound of the Ocean started teasing his ears and the smell of salt surrounded him as a scene opened up before him. 

He was on a beach. Clear blue water against pearly white sand and a gorgeous sunset on the horizon. He had to catch his breath at the unexpected beauty of it. He'd been to beaches before, but none of them looked like this one. Off in the distance, there was a blurry grey mass that could have been buildings. Behind him, the scene faded into blackness again. Too his right, stood Lance, eyes staring out into the water like he wanted to swallow the scene, ocean and all. 

"Lance?" Keith called, jogging over.

"Keith?" Lance turned to him, looking a little teary. Keith assumed that this beech must be special to him. 

"Am I the first one here?" he asked. 

Lance nodded. "Yeah. Welcome to Varadero, or my mind's version of it." Lance waved his arm with a flourish. 

"It's beautiful," Keith said, honestly. 

"Yeah, come on." Lance grabbed Keith's hand and began tugging him towards the blurry buildings down the shore. "I've gotta show you a tone of stuff!"

 After an initial bit of tenseness, Keith loosened up, enjoying the feel of Lance's hand in his as he was dragged through the sand and into the dunes. A path appeared that lead to the buildings that were growing clearer the closer they got to them, everything sharpening like the image was switching to HD. 

"This is the pizza shack that _Ti_ _o_ Manny owns. Best garlic knots in Cuba." Lance said, showing Keith a slightly worn looking building that was open in the front and facing the water. It felt cozy when they walked into the space occupied by chairs and tables with umbrellas. It felt oddly empty without the people."I work here part time during the summers, the rest of the time I come here to surf." 

Keith thought he'd like to see that. He'd never tried surfing, maybe Lance would teach him. 

Lance tugged him back onto the path again and they kept walking. This time though, it was a lazy stroll instead of an insistent tug. Keith took the opportunity to observe Lance. 

The mind world looked good on him. The exhaustion that had been wearing on him seemed to have faded, though the shadow of stubble was still there. Keith found that he didn't mind that part so much. Lance hummed and swung their joined hands as they walked. Keith didn't have a lot of experience, but this felt a lot like a date, one he'd love to be on in the real world. 

"You really seem happy," Keith observed. 

Lance beamed at him. "I know it's not quite real, but it feels good to be home. I'm glad I get to show you this." 

"Me too," Keith mumbled staring down at the sandy pathway and trying to fight back a blush. 

"Maybe, when we get back, you can see the real thing."

Keith decided to test the waters. "Just me?" he asked teasingly. Color blossomed on Lance's cheeks, which was very gratifying.

"A-and everyone else, too of course. Princess and Coran have to see what Earth has to offer, and Shiro needs a beach day like nobody's business. Hunk needs to try  _Tio's_ cooking and Pidge, well, she'll find a way to make something explode." Lance leveled a shy glance at Keith. "I can take you surfing if you want."

"I don't know how," Keith admitted. 

"Well then," Lance snorted. "We've finally found something  _I_ can teach  _you_ then." Keith thought about that vision of relaxation Lance painted. It seemed so far off but so close when he talked about it. 

"That sounds great," he finally said.

 

They walked like that for a bit, quietly holding hands and listening to the water. Finally the path took them to a two story house made out of weathered wood that was painted a faded teal color. The setting sun cast an orange glow over everything, illuminating the many paris of shoes at the door and the surf boards leaned agains one wall. There was a string of small lights, turned off at the moment, wrapped around the railing of the back porch that faced the ocean. Everything felt unnaturally still, like this was a place that was always experiencing movement. 

"I wonder," Lance muttered. 

"What," Keith asked. An unsettled feeling began to creep up, muscling out the soft feeling from the time he'd spent with Lance. 

"I feel like we should stay here," Lance said. 

"GUYS!" A loud voice cut off whatever Keith was about to say. The two turned to see Pidge and Hunk huffing as they raced towards them.

Keith gave Lance'a hand a brief squeeze before reluctantly releasing him as their friends drew even with them. Lance looked at him a bit sadly, like he missed the skin to skin contact as much as Keith did.

"We finally found you!" Hunk gasped.

"Are we all here?" Pidge asked, slightly less out of breath.

"Not quite," Lance said, looking around. "Where's Shiro?"

"He's not with you guys?" Hunk asked. Lance and Keith shook their heads no. 

"That's weird," Pidge said. "I woke up next to Hunk, it looks like you guys both popped up in the same spot too."

"So, what,' Keith said. "Shiro's just wandering around in Lance's brain?" 

"That sound's wrong," Lance said, making a face. 

"Well," Hunk piped up. "He's supposed to be here right now, but I guess he's so good a vanishing in reality he managed to disappear in this place too."

"Which is a pity," a fifth voice, that sounded remarkably like Lance but darker, said behind them. "I was really looking forward to seeing all of you."

The Paladin's turned to see a second Lance standing in the doorway of the house. He smirked at them and toyed with the baggy shirt that was the standard uniform for galra prisoners. His face was a picture perfect copy of Lance's, right down to the stubble, but this version looked a bit more malevolent. A bit more unhinged and angry. 

"It was getting a bit quiet all by my lonesome," It said, smiling with Lance's perfect, white teeth. 


	20. Sugar we're going down (Complete)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with part two that is now joined to part one so just pick up after Anita and Matt. I can't believe that I misspelled the chapter title! Ugh, just shoot me...
> 
> Well, we're back in Lancey Lance's headhole! Enjoy~ Btw Shadow is what I've decided to call the spawn from hell that I invented to hurt my baby. Carry on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note- When Shadow refers to Lance it's either as 'the original' or as 'Lance'

**Shiro's POV:**

He's getting really bored of walking in darkness. When he'd woken up, Shiro had tried calling out to the other Paladins. Nothing. He'd shrugged and decided to take Coran's advice and begin walking in a random direction. This has to work. They couldn't afford another set back now that he wasn't the one piloting the Black lion anymore. As grudgingly as he remembers accepting the fact that he had to be a leader to these kids, he almost missed being in the lion. Black felt... He doesn't really remember how Black felt. It had been so long since he's sat in the cockpit. 

Keith is trying, he really is, but he's still a bit hot headed. Still, there's no one else to do the job, not in Shiro's mind at least. Lance is too immature, Hunk too cowardly, and Pidge too young. He trusted Allura, but Shiro couldn't see her leading the lions. 

Oh, there's a light! 

Shiro doesn't run, who knows what could be out there, after all. He does speed up though. The darkness of what is supposed to be Lance's mind feels too cold and oddly familiar. He doesn't really want to stay here. 

The light gets closer, leading him to Keith and the others, or where they're supposed to be. He snorts. Shiro's pretty sure that he knows what Lance's mind scape looks like. Girls, girls, girls. He'll be proven right soon enough, he thinks and steps into the brightness.

 

The next thing he sees is his own breath fogging up the glass on the inside of a healing pod, muffled crashes sounding from beyond the enclosure. 

"Shiro!" Coran yells. "You aren't supposed to be awake." He's pressed up against the glass, face squished like he'd been thrown into it. 

"Coran?" Shiro waits for the ginger to get off the case and open the pod. The man does so at an annoyingly slow pace, wandering across the floor in a swaying pattern as the ship shakes around him. Shiro is very happy to be out of the pod once it opens. He's grown uncomfortable with confined spaces since being back from wherever Black blasted him off to after fighting Zarkon. 

"Coran, what's happening," he asks. The ginger is too busy looking at a screen to answer his question.

"I don't' understand," the Altean complains. "You've shared a head space with Lance before, there should have been no problem getting into his head hole."

"Coran!" The way the man snaps upright when Shiro uses his 'commander' voice is gratifying. "Why is the ship shaking?" he asks in the same tone. 

"Oh, that." Coran waves his hand distractedly. "We're under attack from Lotor."

"What?" 

"That's what I thought! Apparently, the prince doesn't know how to stick with a schedule!" Coran brings up the statuses of the pod. "Good, it looks like the other four are still asleep. Their brain waves are synchronized now. It was a bit touch and go there for a second. Pidge and Hunk had a bit of a time synching with Lance, but Kieth managed just fine. Those two had an easier time aligning with each other. Maybe because they have similar tendencies?"

"Coran, focus! Are the twenty hours up?" Shiro rubs his Galra hand over his face. Coran stresses him out sometimes. 

"Of course not," Coran shouts. "We'd have lost Lance by now if that was the case!"

"Then why are we being attacked?" Shiro is really considering launching himself into space. He doesn't remember signing up for Coran's scatter-brainedness.

"I'm... Not sure." He turns to the screen again. "Allura is in the command center, she'll known better than I. Go and find out. If you're not in the pod you should go help her."

"You aren't coming?" Shiro asks, already going to the door.  

"Someone has to monitor them."

"Why?" 

Coran seems to age before his eyes. "To make sure that, if they fail, the thing that will replace Lance doesn't wake up."

"Oh, ok." Shiro turns to go.

"That's all you have to say?" The older says shakily. He looks back at Coran. The older man is staring at him with an incredulous expression. Is that anger in his eyes? Why would he be angry at Shiro?

"Yeah?"

Coran inhales a shuddering breath. "Get out. They'll need you in the command center." The words are so cold and direct, Shiro is surprised. 

He flees the room and runs to the deck. He doesn't have time for Coran's idiosyncrasies. 

 

* * *

 

**Anita and Matt, shortly before the attack:**

 

 

"I just don't get it!" Matt yelled for the fifth time, tinkering with the device on the kitchen table. "The tracking device  _has_ to be inside the ship but I'm not picking up anything!"

"Didn't you say it'd be easier once Lance and the rest were put under?" Anita asked, playing with a loose screw on the table. 

"I thought it would be, since it'd be quieter and easier to get around, but this little fucker is not obeying the laws of radio communication!" He looked like he was about ready to stab the tracker tracking device with a screwdriver when Allura's voice came on over the speakers. 

"Everyone, I'm going to move the castle a little bit. That last jump felt too short. I'd like to move as far away as possible form Lotor until the Paladins wake up. I just wanted to inform you." 

Matt whistled. "It amazes me that she has that much energy. A human would have died already."

"How do you mean?" Anita asked.

"Well, think of Allura as a generator that powers the ship," Matt explained demonstrating with a lot of hand movements. "She's been going full tilt for the past week or so without really getting to rest. Coran doesn't seem to have the same amount of energy, but I haven't seen him fly the ship yet so I cant' be sure. But Allura is almost constantly putting off electric pulses that keep the ship moving. It's amazing how in tune the castle is with her body."

Anita hmm-ed, impressed, though she'd never admit it. Allura still wasn't her favorite person. She watched the sandy haired guy across from her tinker with his device, determined to make it work. They'd gotten closer over the past few days. She liked Matt, he reminded her of Marco, just without the bulkiness and height. But he had the same soothing aura around him that she'd always associated with her oldest brother. His constant need to analyze and talk about the things he was looking at had been annoying at first, until she realized that he went through three different object in the span of a minute. Then it became fun to see how many tangents he would go on before changing the subject entirely. Lance was the same way when he got excited. His flirting had been annoying at first too, but it had gotten a lot more endearing when he stuttered after she flirted back once. 

The poor boy had no idea how to talk to girls that were actually interested in him. But Anita would never be known as a tease, she made sure Matt knew that her flirting was a friendly gesture. Matt understood, and their conversations took on the tone of friends that were comfortable with the other's presence. He never pushed her or seemed to want to get closer than what she was comfortable with.

It was almost painful how similar he was to her brother. 

"How do you do it?" she asked. "Your sister is up in space doing who knows what and you don't seem bothered by it at all!" 

Matt looked up at her startled. "Do I?" 

"Yes! Aren't you worried about her?"

He shrugged. "Every moment of the quintant, but I know trying to stop her would just mean more pain for me. Pidge can take care of herself, and if something happens, I trust the guys to take care of her too."

"It doesn't scare you that she could die up here?" Anita had been having nightmares lately about Lance dying in space. Every time he flew out in the lion to face Lotor her gut coiled up and didn't release until he was back. 

Matt set aside his invention and gripped one of her hands over the table. "I'm terrified. As awesome as it is that my sister is a power ranger-" Anita snorted. "-I can't help but think that she's only fifteen, or sixteen now, I'm not sure how much time has passed on Earth. She's nowhere near old enough to fight in a war."

"Then why don't you try and convince her to go home?"

"Because we need to find our dad," he sighed. She'd forgotten about their missing father. "Pidge deserves to get to help look for him. She's also the one that decided to fight with the other Paladins, so I have to honor her decision and accept it." He squeezed her hand. "As much as it scares me, as much as I want to wrap her in a blanket and not let anyone ever hurt her, I can't fight the battles for her or make her decisions. All I can do is trust her and give her my support."

"Sounds hard," she half joked, defensively. Matt smiled softly.

"You should trust Lance a bit more too. He's a good guy. A bit over protective, though, if you ask me."

"Lance said he'd come home with me," she whispered. 

Matt nodded. "If that's his choice then I hope it goes well for you two."

Anita didn't get the chance to say whatever had risen to her tongue, because the ship suddenly rocked as they were hit with something big.

"Anita! Matt! I need you in command now, we've been spotted by a Galran patrol unit!" 

The two rushed to the command center and immediately settled in the gunners seats. 

"What do you need, Princess," Matt yelled over the noise of ion cannons hitting the ship's particle barrier. 

"Take out those ships before they can give away our position and call for back up!" 

"We might be a bit late for that, Princess!" Anita was already taking out targets, but her focus was on the ship prowling closer to them. 

"Shit," Matt sighed. "Lotor's already decided to join the party."

"They probably hailed him as soon as they saw us." Allura began cursing, brilliantly mixing Altean and english into creative new swear words.

She pulled up a communication screen, revealing Coran's confused face. 

"Princess-"

"Coran, we're under attack by Lotor and a Galran patrol fleet, keep an eye on the pods and let me know when the Paladins are ready to come back to us. We'll handle it until then!"

"Of course, Princess." Coran gave her a firm nod and closed out the screen. 

"We're screwed to hell, aren't we?" Anita asked as more ships popped up on the horizon. 

"I don't know what that means, but I don't like what you're insinuating, Anita." Allura fixed a stony glare on the new arrivals. "We have comrades to protect. Select a target and take them down. No one is going to touch my Paladins."

Maybe the princess wasn't so bad after all. 

* * *

 

**Shadow Lance POV:**

It was almost adorable how all of them stared. Especially his other half. Shadow felt his smirk grow wider. 

"Poor, little Lancey," he purred. "You just had to drag your friends in here with you didn't you? Do you really hate them that much?"

"Shut up," Lance said. 

He pouted. "I'm just being honest. It's dangerous to have a fight in your mind. Especially with them here." Truthfully, he was nervous around the other Paladins. As much as Shadow knew about Lance, and, through him, the Paladins, Shadow wasn't sure he'd be able to break the others. With all of them here, it'd be more difficult to get Lance to fall. They were Lance's armor. 

"You really are a coward," he tried. Maybe if he pushed just right and went all in from the get go, Lance would fall before they could catch him. "You can't even face your own self, can you?"

"You aren't me." Lance stared at him firmly. It was enthralling almost, the strength he saw there. Shadow couldn't wait to break it.

"Aren't I?" 

Shadow wanted to live for real. This popping in and out was getting old. Whether the original liked it or not, their body would soon belong to him. The first thing he was gonna do is get rid of that ratty old hoody and buy new jeans. The galran prisoner uniform chafed like you would not believe, and he knew from experience that Lance's clothes were getting a bit worn. He teleported in front of Lance. The shock on the boy's face was amusing. Lance didn't even know the first thing about how powerful a mind really was, did he?

"I'm going to take you apart, Lance," he said, tapping his look alike on the nose. "Then I'm going to take down your friends and then I'll find Anita and Shiro and Allura. Coran can go last, you seem to like him the most, right?" Shadow saw Lance clench his jaw shut. "Maybe I'll keep Pidge alive, so she can see what happens to her brother! That'll be fun!" 

Lance's eyes widened and Shadow could see the first crack. This was  _fun_!

"I wonder if Mom will even miss you?" he said, diggin the knife in deeper. The crack widened. "It's not like you ever contributed much to the family anyway." A little wider. Lance was now looking at him with a pained expression that said he was swallowing truths he knew were real but didn't want to admit.

"Stop it," the tiny one whispered. She'd been staring at Shadow since he started talking, horrified. "Stop trying to scare him." 

Shadow faced her with a raised brow. "Sweetheart, that's my  _job._ "

"Rahhh!" Hunk barreled towards Shadow, who disappeared just as the large arms wrapped around him. He popped back up a few feet away.

"Do you really want a piece of this," he asked Hunk. "You're an even bigger coward than he is." Hunk stiffened when Shadow pointed to Lance.

"Lance isn't a coward!"

"Trust me, he definitely is," Shadow drawled, while picking at his fingernails. They were going down much easier than he thought they would. It was pitiful really. He'd thought he'd actually have to work for this, but if they were going to fall apart he might as well take over the body now and be done with it. Lance certainly wasn't helping. 

Something heavy punched into his gut. 

"So you can get hit," Keith said, the words filled with quiet anger while Shadow rolled on the ground moaning. 

"Oh, can it 'Mommy Issues'," Shadow groaned before standing up again. He heard more than saw Keith's reaction. The boy inhaled sharply and stiffened. When Shadow looked up, the Red Paladin looked like he was being abandoned. Shadow snorted, he would never understand why Lance liked this guy. Nevertheless, he kept up the taunting. 

"Oh, did that hurt?" he said. "You don't like sweet, adorable Lance saying things like that?"

Keith rushed him, ears bright red. The guy was so easy to read. "SHUT UP!"

As Shadow skipped back, he saw Pidge whisper something into Lance's ear. He couldn't focus on the exchange though, Keith had managed to tackle him to the ground and was pinning him there with his body weight. 

"Keith, buddy, what's wrong?" he did his best to mimic the original Lance. "I thought you liked me?" He widened his eyes with fear and it seemed to do the trick. 

Keith was hesitating, straddling Shadow with a fist raised but not bringing it down. 

"Lance likes you too, ya know?" Shock coated Keith's face. Shadow waited, not moving, as Keith's fist began to lower. He smirked, this was too easy. 

A blaster shot hit the ground beside Shadow's head. 

"Keith's right," Lance said. "You need to shut up."

Shadow and Keith both looked at the original. Lance was now wearing his paladin armor instead of his pod suit and had the tip of the sniper rifle pointed at Shadow.

"Damn," Shadow couldn't hide the irritation. This was supposed to be easy! "You figured it out?" 

"Actually, Pidge did." The mindscape around them began to warp. Shadow disappeared out from under Keith and reappeared a few yards away, waiting for the world to finish shifting. 

"Really?" he asked when everything settled into place."This is where you wanna end things?" 

Lance looked around the Galran arena. Shadow had to admit, it was a good copy, minus the screaming Galra soldiers waiting for them to die horribly. Everything, down to the smell was the way he remembered it. 

"You must be a glutton for punishment if you want to fight me here." 

Lance ignored Shadow and pulled Keith off of the floor. In an instant, Keith was covered in his Paladin armor and holding his bayard. 

"I let you in because I thought I was alone," Lance said. "I was hurt, and scared and ready to give up. You helped me get through this part of my life, so I guess I owe you a 'thanks' for that. But I'm not alone anymore." As Lance spoke Pidge and Hunk's Paladin armor began to appear too. 

"So, what, is this nostalgia?" Shadow felt a bit unsettled. Lance was looking him in the eye. Where had the cracks gone?

"No." Lance shook his head and moved forward, leveling his gun at Shadow. "This is where you were created and this is where I'm going to leave you behind."

"Big words, cargo pilot," Shadow spat. "But I'll play." Shadow began creating his own armor, an inverse of Lance's, black where there was meant to be white, purple where there had been blue. 

"I'm a Paladin of Voltron," Lance said calmly. 

Shadow snorted. "Sure you are."

* * *

**Haggar POV:**

Her druids seemed confused when she clutched her head. This was strange, she'd expected the spell to be firmly in place by now. It appeared that the annoying Paladin boy was fighting back. She shook the pain off and returned to work. The headache would pass when the shadow self won, then the Voltron crew would fall apart from the inside. She had absolute faith that the spell would work, only a handful of Alteans had come through the ordeal before. Humans were far too weak to resist for long.

Haggar knew that the idiot prince was somewhere close to them and that he was attacking. He needn't have bothered, but just like his father he questioned her abilities and insisted on doing unnecessary things. 

"I must be left alone for now," she commanded. The druids trickled out of the room and she settled down to scry. She couldn't see the inner battle for the blue Paladin's mind, but she could at least see how Voltron was dealing with Lotor. 

It would bring her nothing but joy should he actually succeed in destroying them. 

 


	21. Something Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and the others face off against Shadow and some things are revealed. Meanwhile, Allura is just trying her best.
> 
> If you didn't go back and reread the last chapter, I recommend it. A lot won't make sense. I only added a bit more to the end so it's a quick read. 
> 
> Well, I hurt my own damn self writing this so I hope it makes sense and isn't just mess on a page. Sorry this is a bit late.

**Lance POV:**

God bless Pidge. Really, he had no idea what he would do without her. 

"Lance," she'd muttered, pulling on his shoulder until he leaned down to hear her while Hunk and Keith had been trying to fight Shadow him. "You have to shake it off! None of what he said is true." 

"I- I don't know..." Shadow had hurt him deep, bringing his family into it. The fear he felt every time the other took over his body and did whatever he wanted with it wormed its way into his brain, making him believe that Shadow could actually do the things he was saying. That he would and Lance wouldn't be able to stop him. Even then he'd been holding out against both Hunk and Keith, dodging and disappearing when they tried to get too close to him. Lance felt himself trembling, They were laughably unprepared to face this thing.

 He wasn't expecting Pidge to twist his ear hard while he was busy staring at the sad fight going on between Shadow and Keith. 

"Shit!" he'd yelped when the pain registered.

"Listen up, Sharpshooter," Pidge growled, turning fierce while forcing him to look her in the eye. "I didn't come into Lance Land just to watch you break down. You are stronger than this! This is your brain remember? Stop letting him play around with it!" 

"Okay." He'd rubbed his stinging ear, feeling a bit less shaky and hopeless. "How do we fight back though?"

"Lance," Pidge had groaned as if he was being purposefully dense. "This is your  _mind_. Theoretically, you can do whatever you want here."

"But-"

"Oh my God, just try to change something!" 

"Fine!" 

It had been worth a try. While Keith pushed Shadow to the ground and straddled him, Lance had focused really hard on creating something. His Bayard, hopefully. When it and his paladin armor appeared in his hands, he'd been so shocked and overjoyed he'd nearly forgotten what they were supposed to be focusing on. 

That is until Shadow said, "Lance likes you too, ya know?" The way Keith's shoulders had grown stiff and he'd began to drop the fist he'd been holding up, sent a spear of sadness and guilt through him. Was Keith really that upset about his crush? 

He'd shot at Shadow almost out of pure instinct, it was a wonder that the blast landed so precisely.

"Keith's right, you need to shut up."

 

Now the four of them were facing down Shadow in the reimagined Galra stadium. Pidge and Hunk were in their normal armor, Lance had his Blue armor and mismatched bayard, as did Keith with his black bayard and red armor. Shadow was wearing a dark mirror of Lance's outfit, right down to the bayard that was black and purple. 

"You know, this would be a lot more impressive if the head honcho was here," Shadow said lazily, twirling his bayard. "Where is good old Shiro anyway?"

The Paladins flinched collectively. Lance, at least, had forgotten about Shiro while they'd been in his mind world. 

"He's still not here?" Hunk asked, looking around like Shiro would magically appear the same way the arena had. 

"We can't worry about that now," Keith said, though it looked to Lance like he had to choke the words out. Shiro was like Keith's brother after all. "We'll find him after we take care of this guy." He put a hand on Lance's shoulder as if to say that he had his back. 

"Big talk from a short stack," Shadow said. 

"You-" 

Lance shot out an arm to halt Keith before he could launch himself at Shadow. "Easy, Keith, don't let him get to you." Keith grumbled but backed down a bit, still bristled out like a cute, little porcupine.

Shadow scowled and fired a shot at Lance. 

"Bitch," Lance said when they all dodged the blast. 

Shadow smirked. "Takes one to know one."

"Can we attack him now?" Pidge asked, whipping out her bayard and letting it buzz with electricity.

Lance nodded. "Go loose everyone."

* * *

 

**Allura POV:**

The castle was not taking being attacked well. She knew they were in need of repairs, but with everything that had happened lately, the thought had slipped her mind. 

"Anita!" she yelled. "Focus on the ship in the back to the right, that's where the drones are coming from."

"Got it, Princess!"

"Matt."

"Yes, Ma'am?"

"Use one of the paladins' drones to keep them away from our thrusters. The barrier is weakened around that part, it won't hold for much longer if they keep charging at it."

The two humans leaped to follow her commands. Allura was desperate at this point. The attack had been going on for almost ten doboshes. They'd already taken to much damage and were barely managing to avoid the heavy artillery fire. She needed her Paladins! 

Allura hated feeling this exposed and vulnerable. Even Coran's jabbering would be a comfort at this point, but there was nothing but tense silence in the bridge as she issued orders and the siblings of her Paladin's hurried to follow. The crash of blaster shots hitting the particle barrier sounded so much louder in the ship without her Paladins' usual noise to help drown it out. The hollow bangs and crashes skittered along her already frayed nerves and she could hear Blue growling in the back of her mind, desperate to fight. But Allura couldn't leave her post, not until Lance was safe. 

"Princess!" The doors slid open, allowing Shiro to enter.

"Shiro?" Allura was confused. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in stasis-ugh!" A particularly hard blast made its way through the barrier and struck the underbelly of the castle ship. Lotor. That quiznacking ship of his was zipping around between the debris of the drones they'd already blasted to pieces, firing at the castle before fleeing too quickly for them to catch it. This time around he was actually attacking seriously.

"Princess, what can I do?" Shiro asked again.

As surprised as she was to see him out of the stasis pods, Allura was glad he was here, she'd had enough of Lotor and the other Galran General ganging up on them. 

"Take over the command station," she ordered. "Don't let them break through any more than they already have, we can't risk being boarded with the Paladin's in such a vulnerable state." She moved aside and let him take over the screen that controlled the particle barrier and the ships main cannons. He'd gotten good at those recently since the Black lion was still refusing him access. 

Shiro didn't hesitate to take command. "Where are you going?" he asked when she started towards the door. Allura slammed the button to open them. 

"I'm going to take care of Lotor." 

The doors closed behind her with a hiss and she made her way to the Blue lion.

* * *

**The Paladins POV:**

Shadow was having a jolly old time throwing them all across the arena, Pidge noticed. He'd turned his bayard into a gun at first, but it seemed to keep shifting into whatever he wanted so Pidge figured that it was like Lance's mind warping of the arena. He seemed just as happy to use his hands and legs as well. 

"How strong is this guy!" She yelled while trying to fling her grappling hook at him again. 

"I don't know," Hunk grunted as he struggled to get off of the ground after a kick to the stomach flung him back. "But is it just me, or is he getting stronger the more we fight him?" 

It was true, they couldn't tell how long they'd been going at this guy, but it seemed to be more and more hopeless as the fight continued. Shadow wasn't getting tired or giving in. He seemed to have limitless energy and strength. Keith and Lance seemed to be the only ones actually holding up against him. Keith, because he just refused to stay down and kept throwing himself at Lance's double. Lance was staying on the periphery and targeting Shadow when Keith backed off for a minute. The two worked in synch but Shadow was not having any of it.

"Would you back the fuck _off_!" he yelled and flung Keith into a wall. The way his skull cracked against the metal made all of the Paladins wince. Keith was strong, but none of them thought he'd be getting up from that any time soon. 

Before Shadow could go after Lance, Pidge wrapped her bayard's cord around his hand and shocked him while Hunk rushed him like a linebacker and tackled him to the ground. Shadow easily flipped him off and yanked Pidge forward by her chord, flinging her into the yellow Paladin as well. The shock she'd given him didn't even seem to register in his eyes as he made a gun materialize and shot them with a sticky substance that kept them glued to the ground. 

"Now it's just you and me, buddy," Shadow said, stalking towards Lance. "What was it you said earlier, that you aren't alone anymore?" He waved his hand to encompass the downed Paladins. "You seem pretty alone now."

Lance grit his teeth and shot a round of blasts at Shadow, all of which were avoided as the mirror image dashed towards him. The two exchanged blows when Shadow got close enough. Lance couldn't do much more than block as the hits kept coming. He nearly gagged as a fist sank into his stomach. 

"You are nothing," Shadow yelled. "You are weak, and useless. A seventh wheel and that's it." Another hit landed, this time across Lance's jaw. "Why can't you understand that I'm better, that I'm the stronger one? Just give up already!"

Apparently, Shadow had Lance's flexibility too, because he neatly raised his leg and kicked Lance square in the solar plexus, sending him flying back to land hard on the ground, his bayard flying out of his hand.

Shadow hefted his own bayard and turned it into a dagger. "You should just stay down," he said.

Lance felt too bruised to answer.

 

Pidge and Hunk watched in horror as Shadow pummeled Lance and then began walking towards him with a knife.

"Lance, buddy, you gotta get up," Hunk yelled. Lance really wanted too, but his ribs and lungs were protesting like it was their job. Nonetheless he stood up. His Bayard was a few feet away but so was Shadow. He wondered if he had enough time to lunge to it. He didn't. Shadow was swinging the dagger at him so fast, all he could do was dodge and pray. 

Trying to extract herself from on top of Hunk, Pidge watched. Shadow looked weird. He definitely looked evil and angry but there was something else about him. He looked... Sad. Desperate, and maybe a little scared. She wasn't the best with emotions, but would a person that was a purely evil magical being in another's body look scared? It didn't make sense.

"Hunk," she said, trying to get the yellow Paladin's attention while he hollered at his friend who was doing his best to avoid the knife aiming at him. "Hunk!"

"What, Pidge?"

"Remember what Coran said when we talked about the spell? After we all broke for the four hours? He said it increased feelings of doubt, sadness and anger." 

Hunk's brow furrowed as he thought about it. "He said something about anxiety too, didn't he?"

"Maybe we're going about this all wrong? Maybe Lance isn't supposed to 'fight' fight Shadow Lance," Pidge wondered.

Hunk's eyes lit up. "Lance!" he bellowed.

"WHAT?" Lance dodged yet another swing at his face.

"Remember the episode with the evil Naruto?"

"What?!" Lance sounded entirely lost. Even Pidge thought Hunk could have found a better reference.

"Do the hug thing!"  Hunk continued to yell. 

"Are you insane?" Lance yelled back, stumbling over his feet as he kept trying to get away from Shadow.

"Oh for the love of- He's a part of you Lance! He's all the bad things and the fear. You have to accept him!"

"Don't listen to them, idiot," Shadow growled. "I'm nothing like you."

"Trust us Lance!" Pidge prayed she was right. 

 

Lance sent up a prayer to every god he'd ever heard of in his World Religions classes and another one up to God, himself, before turning around and facing Shadow. He trusted Pidge and Hunk. Lance really hoped they were right. Shadow kept coming, crazed grin in place as he aimed for Lance's abdomen.

 

The knife entering his stomach hurt just as much as Haggar's lightning zaps back when he was with the Galra. Shadow laughed but Lance wrapped his arms around him and held on while fire ran up and down his entire side. He realized that he'd been stabbed in almost the same spot he'd been shot rescuing Anita. It felt like forever ago. 

"See," Shadow whispered. "You're weak." 

Lance choked on an inhale. Accept it, he thought. Pidge said I have to accept him. Looking at Shadow up close, Lance could see a bit of what she meant. Shadow looked as tense and anxious as Lance did most days. He looked the same way Lance did after a battle in the lions. Scared, angry, jittery. But Shadow hid everything with a grotesque, malevolent grin. The same way Lance did with his happy-go-lucky smiles. Lance could practically feel the stew of toxic emotions rolling off of Shadow as he held him. 

"You're right," he finally muttered. 

"What?"

"I said 'you're right'." Lance repeated. "I am weak. I'm weak and scared and average and angry and sad."

"That's right!" Shadow gloated and twisted the dagger a little. 

Lance hiccuped a bit as he gasped in pain. "I'm all of those things, but I'm also a brother. I'm a friend. I'm like a son to Coran and a shoulder for Pidge. I may not contribute much, but sometimes I make Allura laugh. And I'm the only one that get's Keith to act like a kid."

"Shut up," Shadow said, smile twisting as Lance talked.

"I'm not all that special," Lance continued. "But I've flown both Red and Blue. I'm not the smartest, but I think outside the box. I try to make sure people take care of themselves even though I don't all the time. I love Hunk like a brother but I've never given him the same openness he gave me. I need to be better about that. I always choked down when I needed something from someone because I didn't want to be a bother. I need to be better about that too."

"Shut Up."

"I'm so scared I won't get to go home." Lance was crying now, both from physical pain and having to admit out loud the things he'd been thinking all these years. "I want to see my mom and siblings and cousins again. I'm terrified that I'll be forgotten. I love them so much that it hurts sometimes. I wanna see Carmen's baby again, she must be getting so big." 

"You're a hypocrite," Shadow accused desperately.

"I am. I tell everyone else to give themselves a break and relax and ask for help, but I never do the same. I never told anybody about Nigel and how gross that made me feel even though I don't regret what we did." Lance squeezed Shadow's shoulders a bit more tightly. "I don't regret hurting him because he hurt someone close to me. I'm not squeaky clean, the way some people think I am. I've done bad things too."

"You admit that you're just as bad as me then," Shadow asked, almost hopefully. He wasn't looking at Lance anymore, instead he seemed to be focused on something in the distance, eyes vacant. 

"No." The shoulders tensed and the hand around the knife tightened. "I admit that I'm not perfect, and no matter how much of a facade I put up, I'll never be perfect. I admit that I've done bad things and I can't blame them on anyone else. I don't know if that makes me a bad person or not, but I can't pretend that they never happened."

The shoulders drooped and Shadow sagged into Lance's body a bit. 

"I'm you," Lance said. "And you're me. So, please, let me keep living so I can make things better?" Over Shadow's shoulder, Lance saw Keith stand up, and trudge over toward them, bayard gripped tightly in one hand. Blood dripped from a laceration on his forehead, running down the side of his face. He locked eyes with Lance, expression questioning as he regarded the two boys that could be twins locked in an embrace.

"Promise me," Shadow whispered. Lance knew exactly what he was asking. 

"I promise." Shadow released the knife and slowly raised his arms to wrap around Lance's back. Lance felt both the knife and the pain in his side vanish as if they never existed. He nodded at Keith, who raised his bayard.

"I'm so tired of being alone," Shadow whispered just before the black bayard came down and slashed across his back. 

Lance held onto his counter part as it began to fade. Shadow's features gradually grew more and more indistinct until he was barely even an image. Just a wispy outline held in Lance's arms. 

Slowly the world around them began to morph again. The stadium faded. Replaced with Varadero Beach and soft waves. Everyone's armor vanished, leaving them back in the pod suits. Pidge and Hunk were able to stand up and come stand where Keith was. The three of them watched as Shadow dissolved. 

"We'll stop hiding," Lance said as Shadow faded completely. "We'll be better. I promise."

 

"Is he gone?" Keith asked after a moment of Lance standing stock still and staring at the ground. He was scared to approach Lance, just in case the other boy wanted space. 

Lance shuddered in a breath and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "I think so."

"Check your chest," Pidge suggested gently. 

Lance pulled down the collar of his suit and everyone exhaled gratefully at the lack of waxy, lightning bolt scars.

"Are you okay?" Keith asked as Lance as he let go of his collar. 

Lance thought about saying he was fine, letting them think that he'd be okay on his own, but he'd promised. 

"No," he said, shaking his head. "And I'd really like a hug and to cry about it for a few minutes."

Keith was the first one to surge forward and wrap Lance in a bone crushing hug, followed closely by Pidge and Hunk. 

"That's okay," Keith whispered. 

The four teens stood on the beach and held onto each other while Lance cried into their shoulders and waves that weren't real did their best to provide comfort. 

 


	22. Everybody Loves me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is shorty, but it's about Lotor again so I had to use the title. May or may not post next week but I'll be finishing it in maybe 1-2 more chapters. Thanks so much for the kudos and comments! You guys are fantastic.

**Lotor's POV:**

Lotor could honestly say he was stumped. Really, he knew Lance was stubborn, but he'd figured that the tan boy would have given in and convinced his team to agree to Lotor's terms. 

"Sir, do you need assistance?" He rolled his eyes and neatly avoided another freeze blast from the blue lion. 

"I believe I'm quite fine, Acxa. This Princess might as well still be in cryosleep the way she flies her lion." 

"Of course, sir." 

Acxa may be his most reliable general but she really needed to spend more time with Ezor. Maybe, in the words of Zethrid, "Getting laid will help her chill out". She was loyal to an absurd degree and reeked professionalism. Perfect for his needs, but he really wondered what her 'relaxation' looked like. 

"Sir, the remaining patrols have called for backup. A second squad will be joining them soon." Her voice crackled poorly through the radio channel.  _Someone,_ he highly suspected Coran, had landed a lucky shot and managed to damage their communications system on his ship. Lotor had to admit that their ship was far behind the times, the particle barrier had stopped working years ago. However, it was the ship he'd been sent out in by Zarkon, and the first true home that his generals had ever known. It was the one item of sentimentality he allowed himself in this ongoing mission to usurp his father. Besides, Acxa was one of the best marksmen in the galaxy, she often neutralized the problems before they became one. 

Though it was annoying that someone had been that lucky. 

"Acxa, please have Zethrid begin destroying the castle. The second ship is prepped. We can't have our future allies thinking they can get away with things like this." Lotor smirked as he spoke. 

"Of course."

In truth, Voltron would be an ally in name only. Lotor didn't care about their mission, nor did he really care about the Galra empire. It was just that the path of least resistance was to take control of his father's empire and make it into his own. He'd often wondered what would it be like to have the sheer amount of loyalty the Galra offer Zarkon. To have the absolute trust and devotion that his generals had shown him be expressed by an entire empire of citizens. Lotor knew he could rule and rule well, he just needed to make the chance. Voltron was the ideal means to an end.

"Oh, and Acxa?"

"Sir?" 

"Make sure that she doesn't do too much damage. We just need to be believable, we don't actually want to harm them."

"Speak for yourself, sire," Zethrid said, breaking up the conversation between the two other half-Galrans. 

 

Zethrid was attacking the castle ship with a vengeance that bordered on manic. Chunks of machinery fell into space and floated sadly away from their original places. It was nothing absolutely valuable, but it did look like the large woman was trying to tunnel her way into the ship from the outside. 

The princess had gotten distracted thanks to that, and now Lotor was stalking the poor inexperienced paladin like a lion searching for prey. It was such an ironically delicious twist that he couldn't help but play up the role of attacker. 

"Don't go there~" he trilled while firing at the blue lion. He'd been playing with the Altean girl for nearly ten dobashes now, firing gradually closer to the sides of the lion and hemming her in amongst the fresh squad of fighters. Gradually he'd started to miss her among the fighters, taking out the Galran drones instead.  Little did the princess know that he was hitting the ships around her on purpose. Couldn't have Haggar questioning his loyalty. 

Ten droid fighters floated in smashed heaps of sparking remains from one of his blasts. A few more were from the princess ramming her lion's head into them as she tried to weave between the cumbersome flyers. 

"Lotor!"

The screen in the cockpit activated and the face of an angry Altean Princess filled it. Ah, so she'd established a connection.

"I hadn't expected to talk with you face to face princess." It was almost hilarious how quickly her face morphed into four different emotions, one after another. Confusion, disgust, revulsion and, finally, anger.

"You quiznacker!"

"Language," he chided.

"How dare you harm one of my paladins!"

"It was quite easy actually," he said, remaining calm. His lack of reaction was sure to irritate her. "I did ensure that the blaster wound was cleaned and treated, however. He made a stunning recovery. How is dear Anita, by the way?"

"None of your business! And I wasn't talking about the injury. How dare you allow that witch to revive banned Altean magic?"

Now he was stumped. "l'm sure I don't know what you are talking about."

"The Xaltorez spell."

He didn't need a mirror to know that there was a crease between his brows. It was an expression that he hated making. An expression of confusion.

"Hmm, it seems I need to have a discussion with that witch," he mumbled. His uncertainty didn't stop him from dodging another of Allura's blasts.

 "I am glad that we get to talk like this though," he said cheerily, sending a blast of his own her way. "I take it Lance never told you about a little discussion that he and I had?"

"He told us." Blunt, no room for argument. He almost didn't register what she said.

"What?"

"Lance told us everything," she spat. "And I can assure you that Voltron will never, ever accept help from the Galra!" She fired again, but this time it hit. Alarms blared in the tiny cockpit letting him know that the ice was very near a key section of circuitry. Had it ben just a bit to the right, the ship would have blown. It was official, he had to shoot her down. 

Lotor grit his teeth and rammed against a nearby droid to bust the ice. "It appears that I underestimated you princess, I thought you might be intelligent." Without any indication, he cut the feed and began pursuing the blue lion, firing shot after shot. 

Near the controls, a red button was set aside that would summon another squadron of fighters for the amount of times it was pressed. After a cursory glance, and a thoughtful few ticks, Lotor smirked. 

Victory or death may be the Galran way, but Lotor was half Galra. He'd always wondered why they had to eliminate threats, when it was so much more enjoyable to subdue them. 

Then he pushed the button five times. 

* * *

**Allura POV:**

Allura couldn't understand how Lotor had managed to turn the tides on their chase so easily. 

One moment she was attacking from within the ring of droid debris, the next there were fifty more droids warping to their location and Lotor had her cornered in a ring of fighters and debris. Her helmet crackled and she remembered that there were still people in the ship.

"Shiro," she yelled desperately. "I need assistance!" There was a grunt from the other end and a few curses in the language Lance and his sister spoke to each other. Finally, Shiro responded. 

"I'm sorry, Princess," he said. "We're a little tied up here."

"Can anyone else come out yet?"

"As far as I know, they're still in the pods."

"What about-" She fired an ice blast. "What about Anita? She flew Red."

Shiro asked something that Allura couldn't catch and then Anita's voice flooded Blue's cockpit. 

"Sorry, your highness, no can do. Red made it very clear that she didn't want me in the pilot's seat again."

"I'm sure she'd understand this once." Even Allura hated the pleading tone in her voice. 

"It's _Red,_ Allura." 

Allura sighed, giving up that idea. Apparently it only took one piloting experience for Anita to understand the Red lion's nature. 

"Fine."

For nearly thirty doboshes, she fired Blue's ice blast at the surrounding ships. But no matter how hard she tried, more flooded the area and surrounded her again. Lotor's odd ship flew around the ring of vehicles, occasionally firing a shot, but more often just lurking and watching. Allura could almost feel that predatory smirk he'd shown her during their conversation directed her way. 

The net kept growing tighter around her lion, closing in with a fierceness that made her feel like she was in a hangman's noose. It suddenly dawned on Allura that she'd never been alone on the battle field. Not while she was directing this new Voltron at least. There had always been someone nearby, Lance or Keith, Pidge or Hunk. They'd kept her safe, and in return she'd protected them. Her father had talked about bonds on the battlefield, but it had never occurred to her that she had formed her own with her Paladins until she had to fight without them. 

A blast struck Blue. Then another, and another, and another. There were too many. Blue could only take so much damage. Soon enough, the alarms were blaring and she could hardly move the lion. And all the while, Lotor slowly stalked around her in the ship. 

Was she going to die here? Allura had never thought about death with such calmness, but in those moments, she knew how things would play out. She wouldn't be able to hold out and there would only be one Altean left in the world. Well, two if Zarkon's witch was counted. The most painful thought was of how Coran would react being alone. The image sent a spike of heat right behind her eyes and they began watering. 

"Father," she cried quietly. "I don't want to die. I cant' do this alone!"

Silence. Then a crackle followed by four roars.

The lions! They were leaving the castle?

"You won't have to, Allura."

That voice, it was intimately familiar to her. One she thought she'd never hear again. 

"Lance!"


	23. Victorious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'all have no idea how sorry I am for not posting in so long. Moving back home after school has been a mini nightmare with a few side quests thrown in. I hope you can forgive me. 
> 
> As our hopeful second to last chapter, Lance and the team take on Lotor once again, this time as a whole. something gets revealed in the aftermath, though, that leaves Keith a bit shaken. 
> 
> Enjoy and, as always, hit me up with questions or comments. I love all hearing from you guys!

**Lance POV:**

It felt good to be back in the lions, even if he was headed for a fiery ring of explosions in the sky. Lance relished the feel of Red happily purring as they rocketed towards Blue and Allura. 

"I'm back, Beautiful," he murmured giving the console a pat. Red rumbled back to him and seemed to pick up speed, slashing through ship after ship as they broke through the crowd of Galra drones and pulled up next to Blue. Allura's face appeared on a holo screen, fear warring with happiness as she looked at him.

"Lance! Are you alright?" she asked, a note of hope in her voice. 

Lance nodded briefly. "All better, princess."

"Thank the gods."

"What do you say we show these guys how it's done?" He sent her his signature smirk, but the question wasn't just for Allura. He was also asking Red and, through the faint connection that occasionally flared and ebbed between them, Blue as well. Both lions roared in response and Allura joined them with a fierce battle cry of her own. As tired as he was, Lance couldn't think of a place he'd rather be as they began to attack in tandem, Pidge joining them a short time later while Kieth and Hunk zipped ahead to tackle the larger ships that were hovering and continuously spitting out drones. 

 

They'd woken up only minutes before. The hug on the beach had been brief, but Lance suddenly felt like he'd shed an old skin. Physical contact felt new, and at the same time nostalgic. Every time his team brushed against him it felt like he was being wrapped in protection and love. It could have been an effect of the mindscape they were in, but Lance was grateful that it was there as he dried his tears and began looking for an exit. 

"Uh, did Coran say how we were supposed to get out of here?" His words immediately made everyone start looking around wildly. Reminiscent of a bunch of bobble heads. 

"We're trapped!" Hunk screamed, clutching his head as his own tears began to pour down his face. "We're doomed! I'll never get to see my lion again! We're gonna be stuck in Lance's crazy mind world for forever!" He sen Lance a nervous look. "No offense man." 

Lance shrugged. "None taken."

"Hunk," Pidge deadpanned. "Calm down." The tiny teen adjusted her glasses and regarded the world around them. Lance was amazed at how calm she was. In his head he was freaking out. A brief scan around the conjured version of Varadero clearly showed that there was literally no exit. Not even the comforting feel of Keith's arm, still wrapped around his waist, could subdue the panic rising in his chest. It was safe to say that he fully understood Hunk's reaction. 

"Any idea's Pidge?" Keith asked, nerves showing clearly in the wobble of his voice. 

"We can try making a door," she mumbled. "Well, Lance can, I don't really see any other way out of this." 

Everyone turned to Lance, who was still feeling a bit wobbly after the Shadow ordeal. He sucked in a deep breath, hoping agains tall odds that it would work. 

Concentrating this time around was a bit more difficult. Lance still felt sore and bruised and was both mentally and emotionally exhausted. Eventually, though, a door appeared in front of them. Normally, Lance would try to come up with something ornate and showy that matched his everyday personality. Maybe a castle door, or one covered in twinkling lights. He couldn't drum up the energy this time though, so the door tat appeared would up looking very plain and very familiar, to him at least. 

It was a simple wooden door painted White, though the paint was scraped in some places and there were multiple fingerprints staining the edges above and around the doorknob. Lance could tell you where every scuff and scratch came from, and which of his siblings or cousins had inflicted it. There was the green stain from where Louis kicked the door when the mower quit in the middle of his cutting the grass. One of Veronica's spike heels had been tossed on the porch and the tip of the heel had left a perfect, little, round dent in the bottom. Lance was responsible for the long scrape along the top when his surfboard had banged into it. Anita had managed to drop a dish of enchiladas and the sauce had splattered the paint and they'd never been able to get the stain out. Only Marco had managed to avoid doing any more damage to the poor, abused front door. 

The sight of his front door standing ominously in the middle of a beach scene strait off of a post card nearly made lance break down crying again. He was the one that ended up opening it. The inside was nothing but blackness that made him want to turn away and stay on his created paradise. Instead, he'd steeled himself and marched forward, dragging Keith, Hunk and Pidge along with him.  

They'd woken up in the cryopods a moment later. 

"Paladins!" It took some searching, but they finally located Coran, lodged in a hollow beneath a control panel in a position that Lance knew had to be hurting his joints. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're all awake!"

"I think we can imagine," Pidge muttered, taking off her glasses to rub at her eyes. Keith was also rubbing his and yawning cutely. Lance himself, felt more rested and energized than he had the entire time after leaving Lotor's ship.

"Yeah," Hunk butted in, brows furrowed in irritation. "How about the next time you send us all into someone's headhole, you explain how to get back out first!" He finished with his cheeks puffed out in annoyance. 

Coran just looked at him, as confused as a man twisted into a pretzel could be. "Didn't I explain that?" Lance would have laughed if he couldn't literally feel Hunk's blood pressure rising.

With a bit of trial and error, they managed to pop Coran out from under the console, while he caught them up on what was happening. 

"So, Emperor Asshole is attacking us, Shiro already woke up, and that's all you know?" Lance asked, summing up the entire explanation in one sentence where Coran had taken twenty. 

"Yes, I assume that the spell has been taken care of?"

Lance nodded, feeling a bit squirmy whenever someone asked about it. "The other guy's gone," he promised.

"Well bleach my mustache and call me an Ancient," Coran exclaimed, wrapping Lance up in a bone crushing hug that smelled of dust, maintenance oil and Coran's mustache gel. "That's excellent news, my boy-" an explosion rocked the castle "-that we can celebrate later." He was all business as he set up a communication link with the bridge.  "Princess, the Paladins are awake." Lance and the others waited for their leader to give some direction.

"Allura's not here right now," Shiro's voice rang out over the group.

"Oh," Coran's voice had turned icy and his shoulders tensed. Lance would have to ask about that later when they weren't under attack. "Where has she gone?"

"She took blue and when to try and deal with Lotor." The connection crackled and wavered as a series of shots ramming into the side the med bay was on. 

"What's going on up there Shiro?" Keith asked, brows furrowed as he listened to the background noise in the bridge. There were numerous beeps and crashes and swears curtesy of what sounded like Matt. 

"We're holding it together, but-"

"Lance!" Anita's voice replaced Shiro's. "Is my brother okay?"

"I'm fine, 'Nita!" Lance smiled as she let out a sigh that sounded like it had been building up for almost a year.

" _Dios_ , I was so worried, are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm all better, sis." 

"If Lance is fine," Shiro seemed to edge back into the conversation. "Then the four of you ned to head to the lions. Allura's all alone out there with Blue and we can't leave the bridge right now. Coran, we could really use you up here."

"Understood." The conversation was quickly cut off by a press of Coran's gloved thumb before he turned to them. "We have our orders, I'll check on you, Lance, when we get away from all of this."

Lance nodded. "Sure thing."

Keith stepped up, looking tired but excited by the idea of a fight. "Alright everyone, to the lions."

 

It took them only moments to find their armor and making to the Lion hangers. The whole time, Lance tried hard to reach out to Blue. His connection with Red was much stronger, but there was still a thread that connected him to his former lion. The only thing he got from her end, though, was fear, desperation and anger.  

 _We're coming, baby girl, don't worry._ He thought, sliding into Red and enjoying the welcoming purr she sent him. 

* * *

 

**Keith POV:**

Joining Allura in the middle of a small army of drones wasn't really anyone's idea of a good time, but Keith was thoroughly enjoying himself as he and Black slashed through drone after drone on their way to the larger ships that were hovering just outside of the ring, Hunk hot on his tail in Yellow.

"Alright, buddy, lets take them out." Black rumbled underneath him and sped up the slightest bit, it was still nothing on Red's speed. It felt a bit irreverent to be referring to a ginormous, sentient robot lion as 'buddy', but Keith was a naturally irreverent person to begin with and at least he wasn't referring to Black as 'kitty', the way he had with Red. That was about as respectful as he got, just ask Iverson. 

On the communications feed, Hunk was mumbling something about the Galra cutting into their sleep and never giving them a break with a cranky scowl on his face that Keith was glad wasn't directed at him. Keith didn't bother to reply, he'd learned that Hunk just liked to rant sometimes. Instead, he watched approvingly as the big man took out his frustration on the Galra's ion cannons and used his lion's adaptions to drill holes into their ships. Keith focused on firing into the openings that the drones were pouring out of. He was nowhere near the shot that Lance was, but with the aim correction tech in his lion, he was able to hit what he wanted ninety percent of the time. 

Speaking of Lance. He hadn't heard them over the helmet comms for a while.

"Hey, is everybody okay back there?" He asked nervously. Fear was rearing its ugly head and blocking out his normally trigger-happy fighting mentality. He couldn't help it, one of them was already about to drop, and the other four were fresh out of a cryopod and still a bit disoriented.

"Define 'okay'," Lance snarked. Keith relaxed a bit; if Lance was being sarcastic, things couldn't be too bad.

"Everyone alive?"

"Barely," Pidge said grunting. "Lotor is being a jackass and staying just out of reach. How are you guys doing on stopping the drones?"

"Two more ships and the ones down there will be our only problems."

"Good." 

 

They fought hard for a good hour, Keith and Hunk with the four large ships, and the rest with the small drones. All the while, Keith kept an eye on the single person craft drifting on the edges and only occasionally firing a shot. Lotor. It had to be. 

"Hey," Hunk spoke up after ramming into the third ship. "Alright, the cannons are taken care of and there are still three ships left and, by my calculations about thousand drones. Do we wanna get Voltron to take care of that." 

Keith smiled grimly. "Sounds like a plan, Big Guy. Form Voltron."

It might have been just him, but Keith felt like this was the easiest they'd ever joined into Voltron. It felt like small cogs they'd never been aware of were meshing together more evenly than ever before. Voltron felt like second nature rather than an ordered action. 

"Alright," he yelled as the visor that covered the warrior's face lifted. "Let's take care of these guys." A resounding shout of "Yeah" greeted the declaration. 

It was over in minutes. Broken drones floated with broken ships and the only remaining ships both belonged to Lotor. Through their bond, Keith could feel Lance's hatred of the Emperor pro tem. That hatred quickly broke Voltron apart when Lotor tried to follow his much larger ship though a wormhole. 

"Oh no you don't," Lance seethed and sped after him. 

"Lance!" Everyone yelled after him. They couldn't keep up with Red though, and soon enough, Lance and Lotor were locked in a firefight. 

"Lance, you need to get back here, we can't go after him right now." Even Keith knew that the advice sounded empty coming from him, but it was the truth. 

"No!" Lance yelled through the comms. "He doesn't get to hurt me and people that I care about and then run away."

Black was pushing it, but they still couldn't draw even with Red while Lance was chasing Lotor. The second ship was sitting in front of the wormhole expectantly, but everyone's focus was on Lance and Red. Though Lance was hitting Lotor consistently, and getting hit in return, Lotor's ship showed no signs of slowing down, apparently it was built very sturdy. 

"Lance, please," 

"Sorry, Allura, but I'm not gonna let him get away."

"Buddy, we're in no condition to fight any more right now. Let it go." Hunk might be tying to reason with him, but Keith could tell that it wasn't doing any good. A stray shot nearly hit Black's paw and Keith decided that he'd had enough. As quickly as he could, he lined up a shot and sent a blast out towards Lotor.  

It hit a wing, making the entire ship shake and pause long enough for Lance to hit the other wing with a much more destructive blast. 

With Lance momentarily distracted, celebrating his hit, Keith flew up alongside him and rammed their lions together, sending Red far away from Lotor, whose ship practically limped away towards the wormhole. 

"Keith," Lance yelled. "What the hell are you doing!" 

"Stopping you from making a mistake." 

"I'm not making a mistake," he screamed. "I'm getting rid of a problem."

"Lance, look at us, we're tired and bound to screw up, and Red is pretty battered. We can deal with Lotor later, for now, we need to make sure that the ship is taken care of and that Allura is okay."

"Do you know how weird that sounds coming from you, Mister shoot first and ask questions later? Or how about, Mister lead us into an explosive gas planet because he wasn't listening to anyone?" there was venom in the words, but Keith felt that he might have deserved it a bit. 

"I know, that's why I'm asking you to listen to me this one time."

The silence dragged on, and in that time, Lotor's smaller ship managed to enter its docking bay and the second ship began to make a speedy exit towards the wormhole. 

"Fine," Lance said, just before the tip broke through the shimmering entry. "Let's get back to the rest."

Keith breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," he whispered. 

"I'm still pissed about it, so I wouldn't thank me just yet." Lance sounded annoyed, but the hate that had colored his tone earlier was missing, replaced by sass and sarcasm. "You owe me big time, Texas, and I'm gonna collect eventually."

"That sounds fair."

 

When they reached the control room on the bridge, Coran had managed to minimize enough of the damage that they'd be able to fly out of there soon enough. Shiro was collapsed in a chair and rubbing his temples while Matt, looking very proud of himself and with a grimy streak of something between the realm of brown or black, presented them with a tiny device that had been utterly smashed. 

"Anita and I found the tracking device," he exclaimed cheerfully. 

"Where was it?" Pidge was already poking at the thing while Matt patiently let her examine it. 

"It was in my purse," Anita grumbled from where she was hugging Lance like she'd never let him go. Her stream of Spanish at Lance when she'd met them in the hangers had burned even Keith's ears, and he'd only understood a portion of it. Since then, she'd apparently decided that Lance needed hugs as well and alternated between squeezing his ribs and calling him an idiot for going off on his own. 

"Someone sewed it into the lining of my bag and we couldn't find it because it was so small and it's signal was so weak. That's why it took almost a full day for our location to reach Lotor." Anita looked a bit miffed at the idea of someone messing with her bag, which she presented to Lance a minute later, saying that he could make up for scaring her by fixing it. 

"So we aren't going to be tracked any more?" Allura asked, and boy did she look ready for that answer to be 'no'. Not only did she sound tired, she wore the look like it was this season's hottest new trend. Her normally tidy bun was frayed and coming apart, there were shadows under her eyes and she'd forgone her normal proper posture for a slumped frame that seemed ready to drop with exhaustion. Keith felt a bit guilty for not noticing how wiped out she was sooner. 

Matt shook his head. "Nah, we should be good. I recommend catching up on sleep, your highness. You still look gorgeous, but I think you may need some."

Allura nodded and left, throwing a tired smile over her shoulder at the rest of them and a soft order for Coran to take over moving the castle to a place where they could perform repairs. 

As soon as the doors closed Anita turned to Matt. "I want someone to lie like that to me someday," she teased.

Matt snorted. "Mom always said guys have permission to lie like a rug when it comes to how a girl looks."

"She was right," Anita looked at the rest of them. "So, what do we do after this."

"First on the list is getting the castle repaired," Coran said. "Second is taking you back to Earth, young miss."

"Lance too, right?"

Everyone in the room froze, and Keith's tired mind began to kick into gear again.

"What?" Okay, so it wasn't exactly high gear.

"About that," Lance looked very uncomfortable as he looked around at the faces of the team.

Keith knew he looked shocked, so did Pidge and Shiro, though Shiro's look felt more annoyed. Coran, Matt and Hunk, on the other hand, looked only mildly uncomfortable and sad. Keith had the feeling that this wasn't news to them. A knot of anxiety and fear twined in his stomach. Was Lance really going to leave them, him? That couldn't be right, they still had so much left to do and finish. He couldn't leave. 

Lance cleared his throat and tried again. "I need to have a discussion with my sister for a bit. I'll talk with you guys later."

He tried to leave, but Coran ambushed him with a determined, "You don't go anywhere until I've given you a proper check up."

As Lance and Anita exited through the sliding door, Keith had the sinking feeling that he was going to loose another member of his family. 


	24. Thank You For The Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is our final chapter!!!   
> We finally get the gang back to Earth and Lance and Keith have a heart to heart!   
> Lance still has a decision to make though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with me all throughout my crazy update schedule! I love you guys and couldn't have finished this if you hadn't been so supportive! I hope you like the ending!

**Keith POV:**

Keith had been metaphorically biting his nails during the ten days it took them to get back to Earth. the first three had been to help Allura recuperate, the rest were spent watching the blue planet get closer and closer on the tracking screens. 

Lance and Anita had been locked in quiet discussions the entire trip that the rest of the Paladins weren't allowed to listen in on. Anita looked in turns pleased and disappointed, but she never talked to any of them about why, though Keith did see her and Matt huddled up in the kitchen having some sort of discussion involving a lot of hand gestures. 

Even Lance seemed determined to keep all of his thoughts to himself as they went about their days and doing their best to keep from running to the window every five minutes to see if Earth was getting closer. By day seven, Keith had worn himself out mentally from trying to figure out why Lance and Anita were being so weird and if it made him a bad person that he didn't really miss earth. He wandered around the castle after finishing his chore for the day, cleaning the training bots. Eventually, a really good smell led him to the kitchen where Hunk was doing his normal stress baking routine. The tips of the orange bandana the other boy wore around his head swirled and bounced as he rushed around the kitchen, pulling hot pans from places Keith didn't even know existed. He'd assumed there was only one oven. 

"Keith! Oh, thank God you're here, I need someone to taste this for me!" 

Keith liked to consider himself as someone that wasn't picky. Hell, half the stuff in his cabin had been cans waaaaaay past their sell-by date. But the pan that was currently being shoved in his face looked like a cross between cookies and pancakes made of the blue slime he'd made as a science experiment once in elementary school. 

"Why can't you taste it?" he asked.

"Ugh!" Hunk pulled a face. "The last batch I tried left my tongue numb. I'm probably not going to be able to taste anything for the next week. Which means I might not even get to try Lance's mom's enchiladas, or her cookies! Those things are magical man, I'm telling you!" He glared at a pan that was sitting on what Pidge had dubbed as the 'Shame Counter'. "Don't look at me like that" he yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the pan of snot cookies. "You know what you did!"

"Um, Hunk, they're just cookies." Maybe it was just him, but Keith got a little nervous when people began shouting at baked goods. 

Hunk squinted at the pan even more. "They know what they did," he hissed. 

"Ok, Big Guy, did you still wan't me to try these things?"

Hunk did a complete 180, turning to Keith with a nervous, wobbly smile that was purely Hunk. 

"Would you mind? I could really use the assistance."

Keith gingerly picked up a cookie, which flopped in his hand like the runniest pancake in existence. Nausea threatened to overwhelm him but he quickly stuffed the whole thing in his mouth in one go. 

"How is it?" Hunk asked as he chewed the thin sweet.

"Tastes like orange, and something spicy, but like, Christmas spicy?" Keith ran his tongue over his teeth to get rid of the last chewy traces of the cookie. "Pretty good, I guess."

"No, no, it's all wrong! I was going for a blueberry and cream cheese flavor," Hunk groaned. "Now I have to try all over again. You gotta stay and be my tester."

"Umm, ok?" Keith sat down at the counter and watched as Hunk began amassing ingredients that he wasn't able to taste anymore. Occasionally, Keith was asked to try an ingredient. Somewhere between a flour substitute and something that tasted vaguely like strawberries Keith decided to ask Hunk about Lance.

"Is Lance going to leave the team?" 

Hunk jolted to a full on stop, like a machine that had had it's cord cut.

"Why do you think that?" Based on the way the other's eyes moved around the room and he fidgeted with his hands, even Keith could tell that the big man was stalling.

"Lance made it seem like he was going to leave the team and stay on Earth when we dropped Anita off." 

Hunk sighed. "Honestly, I don't know what he want's to do anymore. The last time I talked to him about it, he said that he was definitely going to stay on Earth, but after we got back and took care of the spell, I thought he was beginning to change his mind. For the past few days, he's seemed happier than I remember him being and he talked a bit about what it would be like to take a break and explore the universe a bit. He hasn't really spoken to me about Earth much. Or Anita."

"Can't we make him change his mind or something?" Keith was beginning to feel desperate and separation anxiety was kicking in. "He's gotta know how much we need him, right?" 

"This is Lance we're talking about, if he's feeling bummed and down on himself, nothing we say will change it. He has a habit of not seeing how much people need him if he can't see it. The best thing we can do is be there and support his decision."

Keith exploded. "But this is Voltron, the savior of the universe, he can't just up and leave us behind!"

Hunk calmly began mixing the dough again. "If Lance thinks that that's the best option for him, I'll support him."

"You don't even care that he's leaving?"

"Of course I care," Hunk yelled back. "Just because you have a crush on him that doesn't mean that no one else cares whether he's gone!"

Shame hit Keith with the force of a tornado. "Sorry," he mumbled. 

"Man, I don't know what's going on with you guys, but don't you think you should sort your feelings out before we get back to Earth and you might not get the chance?" 

"I'm not good at-" Keith waved his hands around desperately, "-this."

"It would help if you'd stop looking constipated whenever someone mentions feelings," Hunk deadpanned. 

"But-"

"No excuses, as his best friend and one of Voltron's legs, I'm ordering you to work things over with Lance tonight." Keith bristled a bit at the 'ordering' part. "Lance hangs out in the observatory on most nights, you can talk with him there."

"I'll think about it."

Hunk nodded definitively. "Good, now try this piece of alien fruit and tell me if it tastes like cream cheese."

 

Keith did think about going to see Lance, mostly he thought of ways in which the encounter could go completely wrong. It's not like Hunk could actually make him do anything. He could totally avoid the whole situation and no one would be the wiser. Well, Hunk would know, but no one  _else_  would be the wiser. But instead of going back to his room after spending an hour taking down training bots after dinner, his feet led him to the observatory. 

It was really a beautiful room, he could understand why Lance liked coming here. With the castle quieting down and everyone retiring to their rooms, the room seemed to separate itself, becoming its own little world made up of stars and plush, blue viewing benches. Keith could imagine coming here with a cup of cocoa and watching the cosmos as they drifted by the thousands of celestial bodies. That is, if they could ever find cocoa. Maybe he could stay here with Lance tonight. That is, if Lance showed up. Keith was half wishing that he wouldn't. As right as he'd come to accept that Hunk was, Keith still felt terrified of confronting people with his feelings. Honesty wasn't always the best quality, as Keith well knew. It was why Allura banned him from playing diplomat. 

After about twenty minutes of waiting, Keith decided that Lance wasn't coming by tonight. The nerves that had begun to build up until they buzzed in his ears, dissipated with an unsatisfied fizzle as he turned to go. And walked right into Lance, holding a fuzzy blanket and a mug. 

"Keith!" Lance hopped back fast so that the mug of steaming whatever wouldn't spill on them and stared at Keith as if he was the last person Lance expected to show up. "What are you doing here?"

"I, um, I was just-" He mentally smacked himself, but the stuttering continued. "Look, Hunk told me that I need to talk to you and that he's ordering me to do it and that I need to do something about feelings and talking would help and that I should stop looking constipated-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, Kogane." Lance held up the hand with the blanket draped over his elbow and signaled for Keith to stop. "Let me put down my cocoa first."

"You have cocoa?"

"Well," Lance stared at the mug. "Something like that, doesn't really taste the same, but what can you do?" Once the blanket and mug were deposited on one of the benches, Lance turned to Keith and put his fists on his pajama covered hips. "What do you need to talk about, and please don't mention to word constipation to me ever again."

Keith gnawed on his lip. "Hunk said that if I have a problem, I should probably talk to you about it."

Lance looked like he was considering it for a moment. "Okie dokie, pop a squat and dish it out, mi amigo, I've got all night."

They arranged themselves on the bench. Lance offered to share the blanket, but Keith declined, choosing instead to sit as far away as possible on the confined seating area. Lance took a sip of his cocoa before making a go ahead motion. 

"What'cha got for me?"

"Are you leaving?" Keith blurted. Hey, no one ever said he was subtle. 

To his credit, Lance handled the accusation-like question with grace. "I'm thinking about it. It's been a while since I've seen my family." 

"But, Voltron needs you! We need you!" 

"Keith, I-" 

"And don't you dare say that you're replaceable!" Suddenly, Keith was four inches from Lance's face with his finger pointed at his nose and no idea when he got that close. 

"I wasn't going to," Lance said, swatting the hand away. "I don't think that anymore. I know leaving Voltron is a big deal, that's why I was talking it over with Anita all week."

"But she want's you to go," Keith said, getting up and pacing around.

"True, but if I decide to stay I need to make sure I can make her and myself believe that it's the best decision for me. I've been thinking about this a lot Keith." Lance looked more serious than Keith had ever seen him, serious enough, that Keith sank back into the bench and held eye contact. 

"When were you going to tell us," he asked. 

Lance shrugged. "When I came to a decision, I thought I'd have one by now but Anita convinced me to wait and see my mom first. I know my sister well enough to understand that she's hoping Mama will be able to guilt me into staying, but it is a good decision. We've been away for a year and a half, Keith, who knows what I've missed? Maybe I don't want to miss anymore of it."

"What about us?"  _What about me?_ "I thought we were like family to you?"

"I love you guys, I really do, but my family is one of the most important things in the world to me. If it's a choice between being with them and saving the universe, I'm gonna go with them over glory. Besides, you guys are so amazing, you probably don't need my help."

"But we'd still need you!" Keith was close to crying and tears of frustration were beginning to sting his eyes. "With out you, we just fall apart, I don't know how to listen and help people the way you do, Pidge will probably lock herself in her room for eternity and nothing any of us says would get her out of there. I thought Hunk was going insane when he yelled at a pan of cookies today, Allura doesn't know how to deal with Earth people things and I sure as hell don't really understand what's going on with Shiro right now!" He took a deep breath. "I know that I wouldn't be able to cope if you weren't here."

"Lance's gaze softened as Keith wound down a bit. "I'm sure you'll be fine, Keith. You're the bravest guy I know."

"But I can't-" 

"Yes, you can. You're a good leader, you just need to chill out every once in a while."

Lance had so much faith in them, in him, that Keith really wanted to cry. It felt like the chance of getting his crush and right hand man to stay was getting further and further away as they spoke. 

"Lance, I never got into a food fight before I met you guys," he finally said. 

"Huh?"

"I never got into a food fight. I've never heard of Bruno Mars, or gotten teased about a crush, I've never had anyone try so hard just to compete with me, I've never built a blanket fort or waited for someone to wake up. I never cared that much about other people, and they never seemed to care that much about me. Sure there was Dad and Shiro, but one died and the other disappeared. I've been on my own for so long, I don't remember the last time I really laughed at something before joining this team."

"Okay..." Lance looked really confused by his long winded confession.

"The first person to make me laugh was you."  _Here we go, Kogane, Make it count._ "After we threw all that goo at Allura and Coran, I looked over at you and you had food goo in your hair and all over your face, and so did I, and I remember thinking that we were both so ridiculous and messy. And despite you saying that we were rivals, I was so glad that you were the one I was handcuffed to while we threw gross food goop at an alien princess and her advisor. It felt like I was finally safe and that I could laugh without being afraid that I'd be judged for it. You made me feel that way. Being around you made me feel happy and like I wasn't quite so alone. Then the rest of the team got closer and they made me feel happy too. But being around you always made me feel happiest." 

"Keith, buddy, that sounds an awful lot like a confession." the forced humor in Lance's voice made Keith want to curl up in a ball. 

"It kind of is?" 

After almost a full minute of silence, Keith looked up. Lance had the most obvious awe struck look on his face. His mouth was hanging open and his mug was raised only half way and seemed frozen there. 

"You like me?" Lance squeaked.

Keith flinched at the tone, but nodded anyway. 

"You really like me?"

"Yeah." 

Now it was Lance's turn to leap off the couch, expertly balancing his mug while he began to rant. 

"Why didn't you tell me sooner you son of a quiznak?" 

Keith felt his eyes go wide. "Huh?" 

"I've had a crush on you since the Garrison, but no you were mister emo and wouldn't give anyone but Shiro the time of day, and now you're telling me that you've had a crush on little old cargo pilot me for- Wait, how long have you been crushing on me?" 

Keith thought about it. The news that his crush liked him back took a back seat to the fact that said crush was currently red-faced and wielding a half-empty mug of alien cocoa at him while wearing fuzzy lion slippers.

"Since... You woke up after Sendak's attack?" It was as close as he could figure since he didn't quite remember when the feelings started to pinch in his gut whenever Lance flirted with random girls. 

"Almost a year! Dios, help me not strangle this oblivious idiot! We could have had this sorted out a year ago, but noooooo!" 

"Sorry?"

Lance rounded on him, raising the mug like he was about to dump the hot liquid on Keith's lap. "Don't you dare be sorry," he yelled. "If you say that again, I will dump this fake-ass cocoa on your head! I'm at fault here too, I'm just mad that the universe seems to like screwing around with me this week."

"So you really, like me back?" Keith asked, thinking that it was alright to finally get his hopes up a bit.

"Yes, Keith Kogane, I really do like you back." He held up a hand when Keith began to speak. "And, yes, I mean the like-like kind of like." He sank back into the bench, close enough that his leg rested flush against Keith's, and sighed. "We're a couple of idiots, aren't we?"

"I guess so." Lance reached out a hand, letting Keith tentatively twine their fingers together. "Does this mean that you'll stay?"

Lance's face twisted in something like agony. "I don't know." 

Oh, here comes the temper. "We just had a thirty minute discussion about how we both like each other! You threatened to dump cocoa on me!"

"I do like you Keith," Lance said quietly. "And if I stay behind, I'll still like you, but I promised that I'd talk to Mama before I made my final decision."

"Wow, I feel so loved," Keith spat untangling their hands. 

"Hey." Lance grabbed Keith before he could storm off to his room to cry and/or sulk for the rest of the trip. "Would you let me explain?"

Keith wanted to throw the hand off and flee with his tail between his legs, he wanted to punch Lance somewhere that hurt, he wanted to be angry and upset and not listen to any explanation. But even he could be mature enough to see that that wasn't right, and that Lance had a right to defend himself. Also, the sheer hope in Lance's eyes made him sit back down, though a bit grumpily. 

"Fine, explain." He would never admit that the way Lance sighed and wrapped their hands together again made him melt inside. Just a little bit. 

"If I stay, just because we confessed the absurdly long crushes we've had on each other, I'd be staying for all the wrong reasons. Even if we got together, there's still Voltron and the war with the Galra, and the fact that we might die to deal with as well. I don't want to stay unless I've thought about every aspect and accepted the risks. And part of that involves explaining to my mom about shy her little boy is going off to risk his life."

"Ok, fine, you have a point. Are you happy now?" Keith couldn't keep the pout out of his voice. He'd really hoped that Lance would have some stupid reason and he'd be able to talk some sense into him easily. But no, Lance had some solid points. 

"Not really. Also, I can't stay just because we like each other."

"Why not?"

"Think about it, if I stay just because of you, you might get worried that you're forcing me to do something that I don't want to do. And if I don't want to come back, but stay anyway, just because of you, I don't want to resent you for it. Either way, I can't let you be the reason I stay on the team. It's not a healthy way to start a relationship." Lance pulled their joined hands up and kissed the knuckles on Keith's hand. An action that sent a fluttering all through his stomach. "If I stay, it's going to be because I believe in our mission 100% and because I want to fight alongside everyone on the team, not just you. I can't put that much pressure on you, it's not fair, and it's not fair to put that much pressure on myself. Can you please accept that, for me?"

Keith really wanted to say no. "I guess."

"Thank you." Lance looked so relieved. "Now, Keith Kogane, who I have admitted to having a crush on, and who has a crush on me, would you join me in getting another cup of cocoa and watching the stars for a little while? It can be like our first date."

"why bother if you might leave?"

"Because I want to spend as much time as I can with our resident samurai?" Even if it was said in a joking tone, Keith had paid enough attention to Lance to know that he was trying really hard not to sound nervous. The fluttering returned with a vengeance 

"Will you make the cocoa?" he asked. 

* * *

 

**Allura POV:**

Allura thought that Earth look rather similar to the way Altea used to. There was so much blue to the planet’s surface. The familiar sight left her teary. 

"It's almost like home," Coran said, coming to stand beside her as she gazed out of the window in the control room.

"It is. I didn't know that the Paladins came from a place that seems so similar to Altea."

"Speaking of the Paladins." Coran twiddled his mustache. "Keith and Lance have been by each other's sides quite a lot these past few days."

Allura smiled. "Yes, I believe that they have finally decided to act on their affections."

"Thank the Ancients for that," Coran grunted. "I hope that this means young Lance will be staying with us then?"

"We shall see."

 

They drew closer to the planet and Pidge appeared with the rest of the Paladins to tell her they needed to put up the cloaking device before promptly pressing her nose against the window and gazing at her home planet with naked longing. Matt was no better, his nose had been pressed to the glass since the door slid open and he zipped right in and straight to the view. Allura could understand his desire. 

Anita, who she'd begrudgingly begun to get along with, was settled right next to Matt in much the same stance. Lance and Keith were hand in hand. Lance had tears in his eyes and Keith looked like he was struggling to settle on an expression of worry, hope, anger or sadness while gazing at the boy that obviously meant so much to him. 

Hunk was grinning and looking around at familiar constellations, pointing them out and saying their names regardless of whether or not anyone in the room was listening. Allura couldn't help but be amused by his antics as the large man bounced on the balls of his feet as giddy as a child. 

Shiro's reaction was puzzling. He had decided to hang back a bit, his expression oddly... Vacant. She had assumed that, like Matt, he would be able to tear his gaze away from the sight of his home world. Perhaps he had been thinking of the time he'd crash landed there after escaping the Galra?

"I believe that we are close enough to contact your family, Lance," Allura said, breaking the spell that had fallen over the humans and half-Galra. "Would you like to do the honors and inform them. It would also give us a heading."

Lance jerked away from the window so fast, it startled even Keith. "Oh, uh, sure, Princess. Just tell me how to work it."

"I can help with that," Matt said, reluctantly pulling away as well. The two huddled around the monitor and began typing out a message to Lance's family. Anita joined them and Allura swore she heard "Code phrase" being uttered. 

"You're going too slow," Anita hissed.

"Woman, I am typing on an alien computer in another language! I am allowed to be slow. Unless you can do it faster, zip it!" Matt seethed making a closing motion with his hand. 

"Bet I could type it faster." 

"Cut it out you two," Lance said sternly. "Allura we have a location." He listed off some coordinates that she quickly keyed in and the ship began to speed up. Before long, they were passing a few satellites and the cloaking was on in full force, rendering them invisible to any kind of scan. 

"Hey, Lance," Hunk said, turning towards them with the mice balanced two on each shoulder. Allura had no idea of when they had climbed up there. "Where are we going exactly?"

"Cuba, a secluded beach near Varadero. My parents made us do picnics there all the time cause no one can swim there."

"Why not?" Pidge asked.

"Rocks mostly," Anita said, shrugging. "There's also some crazy currents around there. It's also terrible for sunbathing."

Lance snorted. "You're telling me! I tried to lay out there once, wound up with huge splotches that were lighter than the rest because of the trees and the cliffs."

"Alright," Shiro said in his leader voice. "We get it. Is your family going to meet us there or what?"

Lance's expression turned unsure. "I don't know. I hope they will, but there's a chance that they might think it's a joke." His expression looked so crestfallen at the thought, no one made fun of them when Keith grabbed hold of one of his hands and Anita attached herself to the other.  

"I'm sure they will be, Lance," Allura said. 

 

Hours later, Allura left the castle on autopilot just beyond the Earth's atmosphere, and they all piled into a pod and descended the rest of the way down. Lance and his sister were bouncing in their seats the whole time the pod chugged its way down to their coordinents. When they finally reached the beach, the two were out of their chairs in seconds and bounding to the door. 

"Are they here," Lance asked breathlessly. Allura glanced at the monitor that would finish scanning the area before allowing the door to open.

"See for yourself," she said after accepting the scan results. The door opened with a muffled hiss that was a bit on the shrill side thanks to 10,000 years of not oiling the rollers. "I think you'll be pleased."

On the beach stood almost a dozen people, all wearing similar looks of awe and fear and hope as they stared at the alien craft that had settled down on their beach. They ranged in skin tone and body shape but there was one similarity between them all, a certain kind of softness around the eyes and mouth that spoke of easy mobility and an ability to rapidly change expression. 

The middle aged woman near the front approached cautiously, a man about the same age following closely behind her with a hand on her shoulder. 

"Anita," she gasped as her daughter left the safety of the pod and jogged over to her family. Lance hung back and let them finish embracing before stepping into the sunlight. 

"Hola, Mama," he said cautiously. Lance's mother gasped and tears immediately began streaming down her face. 

"Lancelot?" she asked. "Mi nino?" 

Lance seemed to choke back a sob before replying. "Si, Mama."

"Mi hijo!" The woman began running towards the red Paladin. Lance took off just as quickly. Glittering specks of sand were kicked up behind him as he raced towards his mother, the path causing both to stumble because of it's looseness. By the time Lance was in his mother's embrace, he was covered in shiny speckles from his tumblings.

Allura had to turn away and lean into Coran for support as she tried to stop herself from crying at the scene that she couldn't help but be jealous over. Why couldn't she and her father have had a moment like that? She wanted him back more than she wanted to breathe in that moment.  Her chest felt tight with guilt over the sour emotion. Coran wrapped an arm around her and held on tightly until the guilt began to ease some, as did the tight painful feeling in her chest. 

"Guys," Lance yelled from where he was now surrounded by relatives. "Come meet my family!"

 

* * *

**Keith POV**

Keith was convinced as soon as Lance fell right on his face from running over the sand and popped right back up like he'd been taking those falls his whole life, all to get to his mother, that they's lost him. That Keith had lost him. When Allura turned toward Coran he assumed she was thinking the same thing. He looked at Hunk, who just sent him a sad smile that said enough. 

Lance wouldn't be coming home with them. 

That depressing thought just became more prominent as the evening wore on and the Ramirez-McClain family bustled them back into their home to start preparing dinner. An event Keith felt totally lost during after he was swatted out of the kitchen by one of Lance's giggling cousins for offering to help. After wandering around aimlessly, he was dragged off by a hoard of tiny children to meet the rest of the family and talk about being a 'Space Power Ranger', a title he completely blamed on Anita. Allura had told them that they'd be able to spend the night here before flying out in the morning. She was currently being fussed over by a hoard of women that wanted to inspect her hair. Rather than seeming smothered, she appeared to be enjoying the attention. As were the rest of the Paladins currently being fussed over by the noisy Cuban family. 

"Munchkins," Lance interrupted after the fifth time the same kid asked to see his sword. "Leave the poor guy alone. He used to be a hermit, he's not used to this sorta thing."

"But, Tio Lance," another began whining. 

"No buts, chiquillo, now scoot." He waved them off and grabbed Keith's hand before tugging him upstairs. 

"Thanks," Keith said, following behind Lance like a sad rag doll. 

"Don't mention it. I wanted to show you my room while you're here. Mom said she hadn't packed it up."

They came to a stop at a room painted a deep blue with glow in the dark stars covering every available space on the wall and the ceiling. The rest was covered in pictures and cut outs and posters. One was for the garrison, the other was for a musical that Keith vaguely recognized, and yet another had a profile of a transformer with a back ground of stars that had bold letters at the bottom that read; "Today, in the name of Freedom, we take the battle to them! Roll out Transformers!" Keith snorted at the ancient movie series quote and how well it seemed to mesh with everything else in the room. 

"Hey, Keith." Lance had already sat down on his bed. "I talked to my mom a while ago, explained everything to her. She told me a few things. Allura only said one night, so I figured it was best to get that out of the way first." A sinking feeling started in his stomach and Keith thought that he'd give anything to never hear what Lance was about to say. That he'd be staying behind. After all, who could ever leave a family like this, with all their warmth and easy affection Keith had a hard time comprehending. They were so obviously a part of Lance, just as he was a part of them. 

"You don't need to say anything." Keith said, holding up a hand to stop him. "Just stop."

Lance frowned. "You sure? I mean, you were the one that was all up in arms about my decision."

Keith nodded. "I just want to sit up here with you and hide from your cousins and eat the whatever that your family is making when it's done. I don't want to talk about decisions right now." He went to sit next to Lance on the teal bed spread that wrinkled beneath the both of them. "Can we pretend that this is just the first time I'm visiting your house and we never went into space or were fighting a war? Please?"

Lance's face smoothed into a wry smile. "Sure thing."

 

They wound up hiding upstairs until dinner, where Hunk proudly declared that his tongue was all better and that Mrs. McClain  _had_ to give him the recipe for the Ropa Vieja she'd made. After dinner, the Paladin's all piled in a guest room, while Lance slept in his parents' room with all of his siblings. Keith felt his absence like a lost limb (sorry Shiro), but figured that he'd better get used to it since this was how he'd be feeling for the rest of the war.

"Red's gonna be pretty upset about this isn't she?" Pidge asked from inside her lime green sleeping bag. 

"Blue as well," Allura said. Coran had insisted that she take the old, white washed twin bed that took up a corner of the room. They all fell silent after that, and Keith began to wish that time would stop for a bit, so that their moment of leaving would stay far away and never be a reality. 

"Let's get some sleep, team," Shiro said. "We've got to get an dearly start tomorrow. 

 

"Tomorrow" turned out to be cold. Apparently, when the house is close to the ocean, the mornings feel like being dunked in an ice bath even when on a tropical island. Keith shivered as they crunched back out to the pod. They'd all agreed that they'd leave as early as possible in order to make it out of the house without disturbing anyone. That said, they'd also wanted to have a private moment with Lance, but hadn't been able to find him in any of the rooms they'd poked their heads into. 

Pidge was sniffling as they left the house, and their friend behind. Keith wasn't far off from doing the same. 

"Alright, everyone," Allura said tiredly as they made their way into the pod. "I know this is difficult, but we have to be brave. The universe still needs Voltron."

Keith wanted to tell her exactly where she could stick her universe until a slightly husky voice spoke up from inside the pod. 

"You guys take forever."

"LANCE!" Keith couldn't believe his eyes. There was Lance. Standing in front of them with a red nose and eyes from obvious crying but who was looking at them with his usual jokester charm. 

"Come on slow pokes," Lance said. "We gotta get this show on the road before my nephew tries to stow away."

In one joint movement, they all attacked Lance with a hug. 

"We thought you weren't coming!" Hunk yelled, while crying and rubbing his face on Lance's head.

"Well, I'm here now, Big Guy. So how about letting me go before you break my ribs?"

As soon as hunk released Lance, Keith stepped in and, after punching him in the gut, kissed him square on the mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me," he screamed in Lance's face. Lance held up his hand in a surrendering motion and wheezed lightly.

"I tried, but you said you didn't want to hear it!" 

"No excuse," Keith pouted before wrapping Lance in a hug that was even tighter than Hunks probably. 

 

Later, when they were back on the ship, when they both were hiding in the observatory after the rest had gone to bed, Keith asked Lance what had made the decision for him.

"I talked to my mom, like Anita suggested, and after about ten minutes she stopped me, and said; 'Mi hijo, you're giving me all these reasons for why you _should_ stay, and it's making me think that there's a part of you that knows that you belong _out there_ with them.' It kinda knocked me out of this funk I've been in."

"So, she gave you her blessing?"

"Sort of. She basically told me that I already knew my answer and that she'd abide by it."

Keith leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, before blushing and scrunching back up in his seat in the observatory. "I'm glad you did."

Lance had an awestruck expression on his face as he placed a hand on his cheek where Keith had kissed him. "Yeah, me too." 

* * *

 

**Anita POV:**

Back on Earth, Anita watched the pod fly up and vanish into the sky, taking her brother with it. She'd already cried herself out during a their goodbye last night when he'd told them that he'd be leaving in the morning. Sure, a few of her siblings had been pissed and upset, her too, but she had agreed to stand by what he decided, and she helped him convince the rest too. Besides, Matt had given her a device that would let her send encrypted messages to the ship anywhere it went. She hadn't been able to follow the science behind it when he'd tried to explain it, but as long as she had it, she felt loads better about letting him leave. 

"Adios, Lance," she whispered to the world outside her attic-converted bedroom window. 

She'd been gone for a little over a week, apparently, and now a pile of homework and practice music sat on her bed to be sorted through. After a little sniffle, she went about working through it, picking up the aria Lance had helped her with on the ship first.

"See you soon." 

* * *

 

"Where is Haggar," Lotor bellowed when he rejoined with the new Galra central command. 

"I am here, Lotor." The hag appeared from the shadows as she was want to do, but the act no longer terrified him now that he was an adult. Her usual dour expression didn't change in the face of his wrath. 

"How dare you use the Xaltores spell on the paladin!" He seethed, glaring at her. "I had plans for him and now they are ruined!" 

"You did not share your plans with me, Lotor and as such I did what I felt necessary for the empire," she replied smoothly. 

"You challenge me?" he asked, with deadly calm.

"You do not rule this empire yet, boy," she said, meeting calm with steel. "And until you do, it is you that should not challenge  _Me_." With that, Haggar left the prince behind and returned to her scrying chamber. 

"Show me Voltron," she commanded, casting a spell. A portal opened, revealing the sights, but not the sounds, of a scene from the Altean ship. "It does not matter whether I cast a spell or not," she muttered. "He is cured and has returned to the Altean princess, so it was for naught. But you will keep giving me information, won't you, my creation?" she reached out as if to caress the crackling portal. "You will show me everything about Voltron, and I will break them."

 

She knew that the being she spoke to couldn't hear her, had been specifically designed not to hear her. It was why she could not listen to Voltron's conversations. He would think that he'd gone mad after being rejected by the Black Lion if he suddenly began hearing her voice in his head. 

"Somehow, I will bring Zarkon back, and Voltron will be no more." Her voice echoed across the chamber all the way to the joint room where Zarkon lay, still asleep. "And you will help me do it, Kuron."

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own the characters, all rights go to the respective owners. Please don't repost. Comments are welcomed. Thank you if you chose to read all of this!


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